Excess sugar intake is linked to many health problems. Recent research has shown that high sugar intake can greatly increase heart disease risk, and a new MRI technique even confirmed that cancer cells feed on sugar.
“A piece of fruit, or even a treat like ice cream, isn’t going to cause you too much trouble… provided it truly is just that – a treat and not something that you overindulge in,” says Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leading health expert and physician. “Most Americans, however, are overindulging – and that’s putting it mildly. The average American consumes one-third of a pound of sugar per day, half of which is processed fructose.”
New research from Oregon State University now shows that eating sugar reduces brain power.
The animal study showed that a high-sugar diet affected the gut bacteria, which in turn greatly reduced the flexibility of the brain, which is the ability of the brain to adapt to changes.
The researchers also noted that both long-term and short-term memory from high sugar intake. After a month of excess sugar intake, the mice did not perform well on mental and physical performance tests when compared to mice fed a normal diet.
Detailed analysis of the mice microbiome showed that the gut bacteria imbalance caused by a high sugar diet led to lower brain flexibility.
Kathy Magnusson, a professor in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and lead investigator stated:
This isn’t the first time sugar has been linked to brain problems. A recent study from the University of Southern California linked sugar to memory problems.
The study showing that eating sugar reduces brain power was published in the journal Neuroscience.
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New MRI technique confirms that cancer feeds on sugar.
High sugar intake greatly increases heart disease risk.
Study links sugar to memory problems.
REFERENCES:
1. “Relationships between Diet-related Changes in the Gut Microbiome and Cognitive Flexibility.” Science Direct. Neuroscience, 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 13 July 2015.
2. “Fat, Sugar Cause Bacterial Changes That May Relate to Loss of Cognitive Function.” Oregon State University. Oregon State University, 22 Aug. 2015. Web. 13 July 2015.
3. “High Sugar Diet Makes You Stupid.” Mercola.com. Mercola.com, 8 July 2015. Web. 13 July 2015.
4. “Sugar Linked to Memory Problems in Adolescent Rats.” University of Southern California. University of Southern California, 07 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Jul. 2015.
5. “Effects of Sucrose and High Fructose Corn Syrup Consumption on Spatial Memory Function and Hippocampal Neuroinflammation in Adolescent Rats.” Wiley Online Library. Hippocampus, n.d. Web. 13 Jul. 2015.
