Diets high in fat or sugars cause changes in certain gut bacteria related to a valuable loss of “cognitive flexibility,” a new study by a team of scientists at Oregon State University suggests.
That is abusing this kind of food makes us more mentally clumsy.
Microbiome alteration
According to the experiment, carried out with laboratory mice that were fed different types of diet and subsequently subjected to various tests, the alteration of the microbiome (made up of about 100 billion bacteria) seems to be the common nexus of this deficiency in cognitive function.
With only 4 weeks On a diet high in fat or sugar, the mice began to lose efficacy in the tests, compared to those on a healthy diet. As the authors of the work explain:
It is becoming increasingly clear that gut bacteria can communicate with the human brain: These bacteria can release compounds that act as neurotransmitters, stimulate sensory nerves or the immune system, and affect a wide range of biological functions. We’re still not sure exactly how those messages get sent, but we’re following them for their effects.
