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Can Sugar Make You Stupid? "High Concern" in Wake of Rat Study
Can Sugar Make You Stupid? "High Concern" in Wake of Rat Study
Smarts stunted by fructose, sharpened by Omega-3s, researchers suggest.
Mass-produced candy, like many processed foods, often contains high-fructose corn syrup.
Photograph by Larsen & Talbert, FoodPix/Getty Images
Published May 22, 2012
We all know sugary diets can sabotage a waistline. Now it turns out they might make brains flabby too.
Sweet drinks scrambled the memories and stunted learning in lab rats in a new study—leading to "high concern" over what sugary diets may do to people, according to neuroscientist Fernando Gomez-Pinilla. (Read more about memory from National Geographic magazine.)
For the study, Gomez-Pinilla's team first trained rats to successfully navigate a maze, giving them only water and standard rat chow for five days. During the following six weeks, the rats' water was replaced with syrups that were 15 percent fructose.
"Most sodas people consume are about 12 percent sugar, so imagine if you drank soda with sugar added instead of water," said Gomez-Pinilla, of the University of California, Los Angeles.
During the six-week period, half the rodents were also given flaxseed oil and fish oil—both rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These antioxidants may protect against damage to chemical connections in the brain called synapses, past research suggests.
After six weeks of the fructose syrup, all the rats were slower at running the maze. However, those that had received omega-3s were slightly faster than their counterparts. (Play our memory game online.)
By studying the dissected brains of the study rats, the researchers determined that the high-fructose diets had sabotaged the ability of synapses to change, a key factor in learning. The sugary drinks had also disrupted the sugar-regulating protein insulin in a brain area called the hippocampus, which play a role in memory formation in both rats and humans.
"I was very shocked to see how strong an effect these diets could have on the brain—I have high concern that the foods people eat can really affect mood and cognition," Gomez-Pinilla said.
(Related: "Cocaine Addiction Uses Same Brain Paths as Salt Cravings.")
Everything in Moderation
Cheaper than table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup is commonly added to soft drinks, condiments, and other processed foods.
The average person in teh United States consumes more than 60 pounds (27 kilograms) of it annually, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Consumption of cane and beet sugar, which also contain fructose, is only slightly lower.
"I'm not saying that fructose is bad—you don't want to single out one nutrient," Gomez-Pinilla said. "The big issue is excessive consumption.
"We also want people to think about their whole diets—also think about eating omega-3 fatty acids," which can be found in foods such as salmon, tuna, walnuts, and olive oil. (Read "Why Are We So Fat?" from National Geographic magazine.)
The next task for the team "is to determine whether the long-term effects of a poor diet are reversible," said physiologist Jill Barnes at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who did not take part in this research.
Future research should also investigate the effects diet might have on aging and development. "For example, what happens in younger animals or humans when exposed to chronic high-sugar, low omega-3 fatty acid levels during growth?" Barnes asked.
In addition, study leader Gomez-Pinilla said, "we can look at how diet might affect disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)" by adding stress to an already stressed brain. "Perhaps for someone who doesn't eat properly, the effects of PTSD might be much worse."
More: Rat Made Supersmart—Similar Boost Unsafe in Humans? >>
The sugary-diet study was published May 15 in the Journal of Physiology.
Replies to This Discussion
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Kellie's FiancéPermalink Reply by Chazz (TYP Owner) on -
I genuinely do believe that sugar slows us down. Great post my friend.
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Permalink Reply by OneCrow <*) on -
Ty! I believe that too. I have a weakness for chocolate tho lol!
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Kellie's FiancéPermalink Reply by Chazz (TYP Owner) on -
Oh Gawd I do too. Here is a helpful suggestion though.. Instead of sweetening that chocolate cake with sugar, try using a sweetener with a lower glycemic index. A great one I use is Blue Agave Nectar. Though it is sweeter in taste it is more healthy and does not burn so quickly in one's system. The lower glycemic index allows us to use it with out the sugar spikes and the sudden sugar drops that make us sluggish. Greatest part is that if you would use a cup of sugar in a recipe, replace that with just 3/4 cup of Blue Agave Nectar and it tastes great.. It tastes very lightly like honey but leaves a cleaner taste in the drinks or foods we use it in. I never touch sugar at all now.
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ContributorPermalink Reply by Lady on -
Thanks for the post, never heard of this new type of sweetner, I wonder if it is good for diabetics. I tery and stay away from to much sweet stuff but like most people I do have a craving for chocolate. I use splenda and cocoa to make a cake in a cup, turns out like a brownie but never bothers my diabetus.
Great post.
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Kellie's FiancéPermalink Reply by Chazz (TYP Owner) on -
The great thing about Blue Agave Nectar is that it is better for a diabetic than other natural sweeteners. It is the Glycemic Indexing that causes the sugar to be more dangerous for you. When you Want cake it works great. When baking with it, remember that it does burn more quickly so lower the heat of your oven and simply bake a little longer. You also want to decrease your liquid by the same amount of the nectar you use.. It is a liquid substance which does not crystallize so it would call for less liquid, but never reduce your oil or butter. The cake will seem a tad bit stickier and somehow more inviting because of it. It is worth it. Naturally it would pay to minimize your intake though... Better safe than sorry when dealing with anything that involves your health.
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ContributorPermalink Reply by Lady on -
Merci mon ami............
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Permalink Reply by OneCrow <*) on
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I'll have to try that ty
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Permalink Reply by OneCrow <*) on
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Your welcome
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Kellie's FiancéPermalink Reply by Chazz (TYP Owner) on -
I love this whole post and this conversation. Thank you my friends
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