newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

I don't know if you are what you eat, but latest findings from researchers indicate that what you eat can affect the way you think.

A UCLA study has found that a diet high in sugar can affect a person’s cognitive reasoning. A study was conducted on rats because researchers believe their brain chemistry is similar to humans.

In the study, rats were taught to find their way through a maze. The rats were separated into two groups, and given a fructose solution. For six weeks, half of the rats were also given omega-3 fatty acids, believed to protect the brain cells that control memory and learning. After six weeks of their new diet, the researchers tested the rats' recall of the maze route.

"The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive omega-3 fatty acids," Doctor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla said, according to Live Science. "Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."

Times of India reported that the study focused on high-fructose corn syrup, which is six times sweeter than cane sugar, and commonly added to soft drinks, condiments, applesauce and baby food.The rats who did not receive omega-3 fatty acids showed a resistance to insulin, which controls blood sugar and regulates synaptic brain functions.

According to LA Weekly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that each Americans consumes about 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup every year in snacks, sweets, soft drinks and meals, and nearly 47 pounds of cane sugar.

Gomez-Pinilla recommends eating foods like salmon, walnuts and flaxseeds, for their richness in omega-3 fatty acids.