Even a high-fat diet may blunt your mind

Monday, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -The cheeseburger and fries order may literally be ridiculous, a new study suggests.

According to a recent small study from Ohio State University, eating a single diet high in saturated fats can interfere with your ability to concentrate mentally.

Saturated fats are found in red meat, dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut and palm. According to the American Heart Association, they can increase cholesterol and block arteries.

Annelise Madison, a researcher and graduate student in clinical psychology, says it’s a common belief that food affects your performance.

“As an example, many people have a hard time focusing on the time after lunch,” she said.

The study looked at how a single meal might affect short-term food, Madison said.

This study looked at data from work done in the lab of her mentor, Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of the University’s Institute of Behavioral Medicine. That previous study examined whether a high-fat diet contributes to fatigue and inflammation in cancer survivors.

The new study examined 51 women who were fed one of two diets, a saturated fat diet and an unsaturated fat diet. Both meals contained 930 calories and 60 grams of fat. Their mental skills were tested in a computerized challenge 5 hours later to distinguish between target and distraction. The test was repeated 1 to 4 weeks later and the woman was given the opposite diet that she had in the first round. Before both meals, the woman fasted for 12 hours.

Madison’s team found that women’s computer test scores were 11% lower after eating a saturated fat diet than after eating an unsaturated fat diet made with sunflower oil. In their journal article, researchers said earlier studies have shown that long-term consumption of high-fat diets can affect thinking ability.

The second finding was a woman with high levels of blood chemicals, showing a low “leaky intestine” score after both meals. The syndrome is somewhat controversial because not all practitioners are aware of the leaky gut, which is said to cause bacteria and toxins to leach from the intestine into the bloodstream. Madison wondered if a normal diet high in saturated fat would contribute to the leaky gut.

According to Madison, the study does not prove that foods high in saturated fat reduce attention, but it does show that it may be the case. She said more research was needed to see if the results were replicated in more men and women.

“We need to consider repetitive measures,” Madison said.

“This is a small study, a short one, but an interesting one,” said Connie Diekman, former president of the American Dietetic Association. “I need to follow up.”

The findings support long-term advice from nutritionists and other health professionals that Americans reduce their intake of saturated fat, said Diekman, a registered dietitian and food and nutrition consultant in St. Louis.

“That means we need to eat fruits and vegetables, especially dark vegetables,” she said.

“The diet is very important,” she continued, encouraging more dependence on vegetable foods, whole grains, and lean meat.

Diekmann is not sure if indicators in the blood indicate intestinal leaks can affect mental performance. She said it can be difficult to determine the effects of a single biochemical or nutrient in the body. Digestion and metabolism are as complex as the body’s reactions, she said.

Amy Rose Sager, a registered dietitian at East Sandwich, Massachusetts, said the finding that one diet high in saturated fats could affect the brain is interesting, but more research is needed. She said she hopes future research will dig deeper into more specific types of fat and how long the effects of a single diet last.

“We are still trying to limit saturated fats for overall health,” she said.

Sager said the notion that food affects thinking ability is behind the MIND diet, which is a cross between the Mediterranean and DASH diets. The diet promotes lush leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains and nuts, and limits sweets, lean meat and fat. Olive oil is a fat suitable for cooking on the MIND diet, designed to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and age-related dementia.

She said a new study should consider the oral health of participants in monitoring evidence of intestinal leaks.

“Your intestines can affect your mind,” Sager said.

Part of this research was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The result is May 12, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition..

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