High fat diet hampers cognitive abilities: Study
POSTED September 8, 2009 - 16:45 | POSTED BY Pankhuri Kapoor
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on September 8, 2009 - 17:58
The Researchers from the Oxford University studied the behavior of 42 rats that were initially fed a normal diet with a low fat content. After a few days, 21 out of these were switched to a high-fat diet. The findings were shocking.
"We found that rats, when switched to a high-fat diet from their standard low-fat feed, showed a surprisingly quick reduction in their physical performance," said Andrew Murray, who led the study.
"After just nine days, they were only able to run 50 percent as far on a treadmill as those that remained on the low-fat feed,” he continued.
High-fat diet also affects cognitive abilities
According to the study, apart from causing low physical endurance, a high-fat diet also impacts the mental abilities.
It was found that the rats fed a high-fat diet made mistakes in the maze task. This showed that the diet affected their cognitive abilities more than those fed a normal diet.
The researchers also noticed that these rats had bigger hearts after nine days of high-fat diet. This meant that with more fat in the body, more oxygen was needed by the muscles.
Significance of the study’s findings
The present study is a ray of hope for high fat addicts and people suffering from metabolic disorders like diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity since knowing the effect of high-fat diet will help in preparing an ideal diet for these people.
It will also benefit athletes in formulating that perfect diet for building stamina and a stronger body.
Professor Jeremy Pearson from the British Heart Foundation affirms, “We look forward to the results of the equivalent studies in human volunteers, which should tell us more about the short-term effects of high-fat foods on our hearts.”
“We already know that to protect our heart health in the long-term, we should cut down on foods high in saturated fat."
Further research is being undertaken to know the exact impact of a high-fat diet on humans and to reach at more valid conclusions.
The present study was funded by the British Heart Foundation, and the findings of the study have been published in this month’s issue of the journal ‘FASEB’.
