Consuming diets loaded with two particular components could worsen memory and brain function, research suggests. A new study has illuminated the link between food and cognitive decline, at a time when more than 944,000 individuals in the UK are affected by dementia.
The study enrolled 55 university students aged 18 to 38. Participants had to complete a questionnaire about their dietary habits and play a virtual reality treasure hunt game.
This mission required players to navigate a maze to find the same treasure chest six times. The start and end points of the maze remained constant, meaning participants had to rely on landmarks to remember their routes.
Scientists then recorded participants' body mass index (BMI) before analysing relationships within the data. Interestingly, findings showed that individuals with a lower fat and sugar intake located the treasure 'with a higher degree of accuracy' than others who indulged in these foods multiple times weekly.
The researchers thus inferred that high-fat, high-sugar diets could potentially harm the hippocampus. This brain region plays a pivotal role in memory formation and spatial navigation, and is often the first area affected by Alzheimer's disease.
Lead author Dr Dominic Tran of the University of Sydney explained: "We’ve long known eating too much refined sugar and saturated fat brings the risk of obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
"We also know these unhealthy eating habits hasten the onset of age-related cognitive decline in middle age and older adults. This research gives us evidence that diet is important for brain health in early adulthood, a period when cognitive function is usually intact."
The new findings come amidst a wave of research surrounding cognitive decline and diet, including a pioneering 2024 study from the University of Oxford. This project analysed brain scans from 40,000 people across the UK, aiming to spotlight the factors that exacerbate dementia.
Out of 161 factors identified, type two diabetes emerged as one of the most detrimental - a condition sometimes indirectly exacerbated by poor dietary practices. Professor Gwenaëlle Douaud, who led the study, said at the time: "We know that a constellation of brain regions degenerates earlier in ageing, and in this new study we have shown that these specific parts of the brain are most vulnerable to diabetes, traffic-related air pollution − increasingly a major player in dementia − and alcohol, of all the common risk factors for dementia.
"We have found that several variations in the genome influence this brain network, and they are implicated in cardiovascular deaths, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well as with the two antigens of a little-known blood group, the elusive XG antigen system, which was an entirely new and unexpected finding."
Thankfully, there is some good news. Discussing the relationship between sugar and cognitive decline, Dr Tran believes the effects are modifiable if dietary changes occur.
He said: "The good news is we think this is an easily reversible situation. Dietary changes can improve the health of the hippocampus, and therefore our ability to navigate our environment, such as when we’re exploring a new city or learning a new route home."
Do I have dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term describing several conditions related to the ongoing decline of the brain. During its onset, common symptoms may include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping
- Memory loss
- Struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
- Being confused about time and place
- Mood changes
The NHS encourages anyone experiencing these symptoms to seek medical advice.
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