What you eat plays a crucial role in shaping your risk for conditions like heart attacks and strokes, but now, researchers suggest your diet may also influence how well your brain navigates the world around you.
Western diet, typically high in fats and sugar, is well known to increase the risk of obesity and long-term health disorders. A recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity highlights another serious consequence of fast-food consumption, the impact it may have on the brain's spatial abilities, including locating places, remembering routes, and estimating distances.
The researchers from the University of Sydney used a virtual reality maze with landmarks to test the navigation abilities of 55 young participants. The participants had six trials, each lasting four minutes to find a hidden treasure chest. If they failed, they were shown the correct spot for 10 seconds. In a final trial, the treasure was removed, and participants had to mark its location from memory, testing how well they had learned the maze.
The diet of the participants was evaluated using questionnaires and their working memory was tested in a number recall exercise.
The researchers noted that the participants who frequently consumed foods high in saturated fats and refined sugars found it difficult to remember the chest's location compared to those who were on healthier diets.
The study findings suggest that, in addition to the well-known traditional health risks, a high-fat, high-sugar diet can also impair the hippocampus, the brain region crucial for spatial navigation and memory formation.
"This research gives us evidence that diet is important for brain health in early adulthood, a period when cognitive function is usually intact," Dr. Dominic Tran from the Faculty of Science's School of Psychology, who led the research said in a news release.
However, the researchers believe that the cognitive damage may be reversible with dietary interventions. "The good news is we think this is an easily reversible situation. Dietary changes can improve the health of the hippocampus, and therefore our ability to navigate our environment, such as when we're exploring a new city or learning a new route home," Dr. Tran added.
