Untitled Document
 Candy,
donuts, cookies, and many other processed foods contain a lot of sugar. Your
body needs sugar to work properly. However, eating
too much sugar is not good for your health. Recently, American researchers found that sugar
is harmful ability to your brain,
too! According to them, eating
a high fructose diet for as little as six
weeks may make you stupid.
Many people already know that eating too much sugar can cause many health problems.
It makes you gain weight. Researchers
at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found in their
new study that eating a high-fructose
diet over a long term changes your brain’s
ability to learn and remember
information.
The researchers studied rats to learn the effects of sugar on the human
body. This is because a rat’s brain chemistry is similar to humans.
The researchers fed the rats high-fructose corn syrup, which is a liquid six times sweeter
than cane sugar. It is commonly added to processed
foods such as soft drinks, seasonings, and even baby
food.
 Before
starting the experimental diet, the rats
were taught to navigate their way through
a maze. Then, the rats were
divided into two groups. Both groups ate corn syrup, but one group
also received omega-3 fatty acids. After
six weeks, the researchers tested the rats’ ability to recall of the maze route.
The second group of rats that received omega-3 fatty acids navigated
through the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive the
omega-3 fatty acids. The brain cells in the first
group of rats had trouble signaling each other. “As
high-fructose diet decreased the rats’ ability
to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier,”
said researcher Fernando Gomez-Pinilla of UCLA. “Our study shows
that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as
the body. This is something new.”
According to the researchers, adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals
can help minimize the brain damage caused by sugar. “Omega-3
fatty acids may help protect or heal the brain from this
damage,” said Gomez-Pinilla. He recommends taking one gram
of omega-3 fatty acids per day.
From now on, try not to eat
too much sugar for your body and brain. Also, take omega-3 fatty acids
every day to help your brain work better. Remember that what you eat
affects how you think! |
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