Junk Foods' Effects on Your Brain and Energy

Researchers recently studied the short term effect of a high-fat diet on rats. The findings were not good. They found that rats fed a high fat diet took longer to find their way through a maze and ran less on a treadmill than those on a normal diet. The decline in brain function may be due to the fact that a high fat diet can result in insulin resistance, which impedes the body's ability to use glucose which is vital to the function of the brain.

The researchers also found increased levels of a protein that makes the cells less efficient at using oxygen to make energy needed for exercising in the rats that were fed a high fat diet. This protein found in the muscle tissue makes the heart enlarged and have to work harder. This probably explains the reduced treadmill activity.

A similar experiment was conducted on healthy young men, and the preliminary results found the same effects. These findings imply that the short term effect of a junk food binge may impair our muscle and brain function. Based on this data, it is recommended that in order to keep a healthy mind and body, people should refrain from overindulging with high fat junk foods.

 

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