Just Four Days of Junk Food Can Impair Brain’s Memory Center, Study Finds

Just Four Days of Junk Food Can Impair Brain’s Memory Center, Study Finds
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A new study from the UNC School of Medicine, published in the journal Neuron, has found that a diet high in saturated fats can alter the brain’s memory center in as little as four days, potentially increasing the risk of long-term cognitive problems.

The research, which was conducted on mice, discovered that a group of neurons in the hippocampus—the brain’s memory hub—becomes hyperactive after just a few days on a high-fat diet that mimics Western junk food. This hyperactivity occurs because the brain’s ability to process glucose is disrupted, which in turn impairs memory processing.

According to a report from SciTechDaily, the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Juan Song, was surprised by how quickly the cellular changes occurred and how this shift alone was enough to impair memory. The findings suggest that these effects can begin well before any weight gain or diabetes develops.

The study also found that these effects are not permanent. Researchers discovered that dietary interventions like intermittent fasting were enough to normalize the overactive neurons and restore memory function in the mice. The findings open the door for early interventions to protect memory and reduce the long-term risk of neurodegenerative conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.