High-fat diet leads to stupidity and laziness?

Research conducted by Oxford University showed that mice fed a high-fat diet reduced their physical endurance and cognitive ability after 9 days of testing.

Research has implications for not only people who are eating a lot of fat, but also for athletes who are looking for an optimal diet for exercise as well as for patients with metabolic disorders. Detailed research results are published in the FASEB Journal.

'We found that mice that switched from their normal low-fat diet to a high-fat diet quickly reduced physical activity,' said Dr. Andrew Murray, head of the Oxford University team. , said. 'After 9 days, they are only capable of running as far as 50% compared to normal.'

High-fat diets commonly found in Western countries are thought to be harmful in the long term and can lead to many problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart function decline. They also come with a long-term decline in cognitive ability. However, people have hardly paid attention to the short-term effects of this diet.

Physical toughness - in short, the ability to maintain mobility for a long time - depends on the amount of oxygen supplied to the muscles and the extent to which the muscle produces energy from the raw burning. whether from our food. Specifically, the use of fat as a raw material for this process proved less effective than the use of carbohydrates from carbohydrates, but the changes in metabolism caused by different diets are complex. And people still argue over whether the enjoyment of a high-fat diet over a short period of time increases or decreases the ability to be physically active.

The Oxford University team conducted a survey to see if mice receiving a high-fat diet for a few days had changes in their physical and cognitive abilities.

All 42 mice in the initial experiment were fed a standard diet with a fat content of only 7.5%. Their physical toughness is measured by the distance they run on a treadmill and short-term memory is measured by a problem of finding a way out of the maze. Later, half of the rats were switched to a high-fat diet with 55% fat. After 4 days when mice were used to the new diet, the physical strength and cognitive ability of the two experimental groups were compared in 5 days.

'With a standard diet, 7.5% of the energy comes from fat. This is really a low-fat diet, equivalent to a person who doesn't eat anything but a light breakfast, ' Dr. Murray explained. ' Meanwhile, a high-fat diet, with 55% of its energy comes from fat, sounds strange but is actually very popular among human menus. A diet with snacks that you use temporarily when you're in a hurry is similar to the above-mentioned rich-fat regime. '

A new study suggests that when mice switch to a high-fat diet, they quickly lose physical activity.(Photo: iStockphoto / Leigh Schindler)

'Some high-fat, low-carbohydrate menus for weight loss even have fat content up to 60%. However, we are not sure how much of the conclusions from this study can be applied directly to such menus, since the high-fat diet we used in the experiment is not necessarily is less carbohydrate, ' he added.

On the fifth day after applying a high-fat diet, rats ran 30% less than those who still enjoyed the normal diet. By day 9, the last day of the test, they can only run at 50%.

High-fat mice also made mistakes earlier in the maze escape problem, a sign that their cognitive abilities were affected by the diet. The number of correct decisions before making mistakes decreases from over 6 to 5 or 5.5.

The researchers also investigated which fat-rich diet caused any chemical changes in mice. They observed an increase in a 'non-binding protein' in heart cells and muscle cells in rats fed with fat. This protein is not involved in burning food into energy in cells, reducing the efficiency of the heart and muscles. This can at least partly explain motor impairment as seen in experimental mice.

Mice that eat a lot of fat and exercise on a treadmill have a significantly enlarged heart after 9 days, which is explained that their hearts have increased in size to pump more blood to the body and provide more oxygen. for muscle systems.

While this experiment was conducted in mice, Murray's team is currently conducting a similar human survey to examine the effects of a short-term high-fat diet on exercise and cognitive abilities. .

Research results are important for not only athletes seeking an optimal diet for exercise, but also for patients with metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. or insulin resistance. People with these diseases may have higher levels of blood fat, less physical exercise and cognitive decline, and may even develop schizophrenia over time.

'These are startling results,' said Professor Kieran Clarke, head of research at Oxford University. 'It shows that eating a lot of fat even for a short period of time has a significant effect on gene expression, metabolism and physical activity. By optimizing proper diets, we will help athletes increase flexibility and help patients with metabolic disorders improve mobility and do many other things. '

'In just over a week, dietary changes have made the heart of the mouse less efficient,' said Professor Jeremy Pearson, Medical Director of the UK Heart Foundation, which funded the study. hey, speak. 'We are looking forward to the results of a similar experiment on the human body, in the hope that the new experiment will reveal more about the short-term effects of fat-rich foods on the heart. So far, we have learned that cutting saturated fat foods is a way to protect cardiovascular health in the long term. '

Refer:

1. Murray et al.Đang thực hiện việc thực hiện cơ sở dữ liệu và function bị xác định trong rats với kích cỡ lần đầu-The FASEB Journal, 2009;DOI: 10.1096 / fj.09-139691