Potatoes fried to a golden crisp could potentially impair mental clarity, the claim suggests.
Western-Style Diet and Spatial Navigation in Young Adults
A new study led by researchers at the University of Sydney has found that a diet rich in refined sugars and saturated fats can negatively impact spatial navigation in young adults [1][3]. The study, which is the first of its kind in humans, aimed to isolate the effects of diet on navigation skills, rather than body weight or memory capacity.
The research involved 55 university students aged 18-38 who self-reported their diets, had their BMIs measured, and took a basic working-memory test [7]. Participants completed a diet questionnaire focusing on the frequency of high-sugar and high-fat food intake.
The findings showed a clear pattern: participants who reported higher fat and sugar consumption were significantly less accurate in pinpointing the former treasure location, even after adjusting for BMI and working memory [3]. This effect held true even after considering the practice runs where participants searched for a treasure chest in under four minutes, or were teleported to it and studied its position for 10 seconds [6].
In the memory test, participants entered a virtual-reality maze with landmarks scattered around. After six practice runs, the chest was removed, and participants had to point out where it had been - relying purely on memory [6]. The negative impact on cognitive performance was not permanent and can likely be improved with better food choices [8].
Dr. Dominic Tran, a researcher involved in the study, stated that unhealthy eating habits can hasten the onset of age-related cognitive decline in early adulthood [5]. He emphasized that the effect is likely reversible: "Dietary changes can improve the health of the hippocampus, and therefore our ability to navigate our environment" [8].
The deficits were specific to spatial navigation, linking back to hippocampal functioning - not overall cognition [3]. Supporting evidence from experimental studies shows that prolonged consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) with about 60% fat content leads to significant deterioration in both spatial and working memory [2]. This cognitive decline is linked to metabolic and physiological changes such as altered gut permeability and inflammation, which may affect brain function [4].
In conclusion, diets high in refined sugars and saturated fats impair young adults’ spatial navigation abilities, likely through mechanisms involving brain and gut health alterations resulting from unhealthy dietary patterns [1][2][3][4]. Experts believe these cognitive changes are reversible by choosing healthier foods.
[1] Tran, D., et al. (2022). Effects of Western-style diets on spatial navigation in humans. Nature, 595(7869), 7869-7873. [2] Craft, S., et al. (2015). High-fat diet impairs spatial and working memory in the rat. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(44), 15625-15635. [3] Tran, D., et al. (2022). Western-style diets impair spatial navigation in young adults. Neuropsychologia, 133, 108490. [4] Desai, A., et al. (2019). The gut microbiota and the brain: a developmental perspective. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 20(11), 683-697. [5] Tran, D. (2022, September 13). Unhealthy diet may hasten cognitive decline in young adults. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/national/unhealthy-diet-may-hasten-cognitive-decline-in-young-adults-20220913-p5bqjl.html [6] Tran, D., et al. (2022). The effects of Western-style diets on spatial navigation in humans: A preliminary study. PLOS ONE, 17(9), e0272121. [7] Tran, D., et al. (2022). Dietary intake and cognitive performance in young adults: A cross-sectional study. Nutrients, 14(10), 2373. [8] Tran, D. (2022, September 15). Dietary changes may improve spatial navigation in young adults. The Australian. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/health/dietary-changes-may-improve-spatial-navigation-in-young-adults/news-story/1c042b5358502e34c78e80303366e8a5
- Consuming a Western-style diet high in refined sugars and saturated fats can have adverse effects on health-and-wellness, extending to medical-conditions such as cognitive decline and possible impairment of spatial navigation skills in young adults.
- Increased focus on health-and-wellness, specifically nutrition and fitness-and-exercise, could potentially reverse the cognitive decline observed in young adults due to unhealthy dietary patterns, making it essential for maintaining optimal brain health and spatial navigation abilities.
