14 DAY TRIAL // There's a reason they call pizza, hamburgers, chips and other high-fat goodies of the kind junk food. They might taste positively divine, but they also have a knack for clogging arteries and causing all sorts of health trouble.
Now, a new study published in the journal BMC Medicine warns that eating copious amounts of junk food appears to shrink the brain. A pretty good reason to switch to eating fruits and veggies instead, right?
Dietary choices alter brain anatomy
The BMC Medicine study, authored by a team of researchers at Deakin University and the Australian National University, compares the brain of people with unhealthy diets and people who usually watch what they eat.
By the looks of it, unhealthy diets correlate with a smaller hippocampus, a part of the brain known to be involved in learning, memory and even mental health.
As part of their study, the research team focused on adults between the ages of 60 and 64. Some were quite fond of salty snacks, processed meats and fizzy drinks, others preferred vegetables, fruits and lean meat such as fish.
Even when the scientists factored in risk factors that could transform the brain's anatomy - i.e. smoking, physical activity and gender, - poor dietary choices still correlated with a smaller hippocampus.
We really should start eating healthier
As noted, the hippocampus plays a crucial role in learning, memory and mental health. With dementia and other similar conditions on the rise on a global scale, perhaps simply educating ourselves to eat healthier might help stave off some mental issues.
“This latest study sheds light on at least one of the pathways by which eating an unhealthy diet may influence the risk for dementia, cognitive decline and mental disorders such as depression and anxiety in older people.”
“It is becoming even clearer that diet is critically important to mental as well as physical health throughout life,” study leader Felice Jacka said in a statement.