Feeling a little less sharp than usual? Your eating habits may be to blame. It turns out that fat actually makes you dumb in the short term, according to new research.
An Oxford University study found a high-fat diet reduces mental and physical endurance in a matter of days, reports the London Daily Mail. After just nine days, rats fed a high-fat diet could run only 50% as far on a treadmill as rats that consumed their regular low-fat food, reports the Mail. And the fat-chomping rodents made errors on a maze task, which meant that their cognitive abilities were affected as well, according to the Mail.
While it's widely known that eating fat has long-term health consequences (obesity and heart disease among them), the new research points up its short-term impact.
The study results were "startling," said Prof. Kieran Clarke, head of the Oxford research team. "It shows that high-fat feeding over short periods of time can markedly affect mind and body," he told the Daily Mail.
So why would eating a muffin with your morning coffee leave you brain-fogged?
"Fat makes people tired," explains Dr. Eric Braverman, author of "The Edge Effect." "The brain runs on protein, sugar, caffeine and various hormones, but fat does not fit in. It destroys the brain’s energy cycle."
Eating high-fat snacks and meals means that your system has to divert blood away from the brain and toward the tummy to digest it all, explains nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, author of "Eat Your Way to Happiness."
"What happens is that the blood has to clear out all that fat, so you feel very groggy until it's done," she says. "It makes a person dumb since it reduces the amount of oxygen that can get to the brain tissues."
Eating fat definitely affects one's cognition, says internist and bariatric medicine specialist Dr. Daisy Merey. "Once people eat less fat, they are more focused and they can perform better on tasks," she explains.
If you want to feel awake instead of ready for a nap, Braverman has some suggestions. Eat whole grains, berries, vegetables and a lot of fresh spices, especially those he calls the powerful ones: fresh sage, oregano and marjoram. "These will make you more alert," he promises.
When you eat fat, choose carefully, advises Merey. Fish oil, olive oil and walnuts contain "good fats." But cheeses and full-fat dairy products "clog up your arteries and your brain," Merey says.
How long would it take to feel less stupid if you ate smarter? Experts figure that nine days in a rat's life is the equivalent of about a month in a human, according to the Daily Mail. Expect to see some results in about that time, the paper says.
According to Dr. Andrew Murray, who was involved with the Oxford study, the low-fat food that the rats were eating equates to "something like humans eating nothing but muesli every day."
If you don’t like muesli? Even some small dietary changes could make a difference. And just thinking about how dumb you’re going to be if you keep eating fries and cheeseburgers can be a fat deterrent.
As Murray told the Daily Mail, "Let’s just say the temptation to nip off for a bacon sandwich when you’re doing this kind of research is far less prevalent than normal."
source: nydailynews
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