Sugar Can Make You Dumb?

Be careful for those who consume lots of sugar every day, because the results of a study from researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) revealed that consuming too much sugar can reduce the ability of the human brain.

The study shows how the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup continuously reduce cognitive impairment of rats. Some researchers fed two groups of mice that contain corn syrup with high-fructose content, a common ingredient in processed foods, as drinking water for six weeks. One group of mice were given intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, which promote brain power, in the form of linseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the other group did not.

Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared. “The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

A high fructose diet slows the brain
and curbs memory and learning,
researchers have found. (Picture 
from: http://www.greenista.com/)

"Brain cells signal each other that they are problematic, thereby disrupting the ability of mice to clear it and remember the path they have learned six weeks before," he said. A closer study of the brains of mice revealed that mice that were not given DHA intake has also developed signs of insulin resistance, hormones, and blood sugar control, and regulate brain function.

In other words, eating too much of sugar can interfere with the ability of insulin to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is required in the processing of thoughts and emotions. Corn syrup with high sugar levels commonly found in soda, spices, applesauce, baby food, snacks and other processed. The study was published in the Journal of Physiology.

While the study did not say what the equivalent might be for a human to consume as much high-fructose corn syrup as the rats did, researchers said it provides some evidence that metabolic syndrome can affect the mind as well as the body. "Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Gomez-Pinilla.

"Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage." *** [AFP | SRI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 24052012]

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