As the Lethal Coronavirus pandemic rages over the globe, researchers and nutritionists have warned those allergic in the consumption of fatty foods to refrain from it or risk the ability to concentrate in most things.
According to the research, fatty foods may feel inevitable during these troubled times, but new research suggests that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can hinder a person’s ability to concentrate.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, compares how 45+ women performed on a test of their attention after they had consume either meals high in saturated fat or the same meal made with sunflower oil, which is high in unsaturated fat.
The researchers revealed that the subjects’ performance on the test was worse after eating the high-saturated-fat meal than after they ate the meal containing a healthier fat, signaling a link between fatty food and the brain.
They also examined whether a condition called “leaky gut,” which allows intestinal bacteria to enter the bloodstream, had any effect on concentration.
Participants with leakier guts, the researchers noted, performed worse on the attention assessment, no matter which meal they had eaten, saying the loss of focus after a single meal was an eye-opener.
“Women in the study completed a baseline assessment of their attention during a morning visit to the lab.
“The high-fat meal followed eggs, biscuits, turkey sausage and gravy containing 60 grams of fat, either a palmitic acid-based oil high in saturated fat or the lower-saturated-fat sunflower oil,” the researchers said.
Lead author of the study from Ohio State University, Annelise Madison, said, “This was just one meal — it’s pretty remarkable that we saw a difference.
“The meal made with sunflower oil, while low in saturated fat, still contained a lot of dietary fat.
“Because both meals were high-fat and potentially problematic, the high-saturated-fat meal’s cognitive effect could be even greater if it were compared to a lower-fat meal.”
Director, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at The Ohio State University, Prof.Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, said the findings suggest concentration could be even more impaired in people stressed by the pandemic who are turning to fatty foods for comfort.”
Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, said, “What we know is that when people are more anxious, a good subset of us will find high-saturated-fat food more enticing than broccoli.”
Reacting to the study, a Lagos based registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, Cynthia Onyekwere, told our Correspondent that though the exact mechanism of the study was unclear, some studies, however, show that high intake of fat, especially saturated fat, affects a person’s ability to concentrate and even remember.
Onyekwere explained, “This is because saturated fats cause inflammation in the body, and the brain may not be left out.
“Saturated fats are unhealthy and can be found in foods such as fatty meat, butter, coconut oil, et cetera.
“Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic, many people’s dietary habits have changed for the worse.
“In a bid to make themselves happy, they tend to opt for foods high in saturated fat because they are tastier and seem to provide them some form of comfort.
“Not only will this new eating habit lead to excessive weight gain, it can lead to poor attention span.
“It is, therefore, advisable to consume unsaturated fat which can be found in safflower oil, canola oil, soya bean oil, olive oil, avocado, among others.”
She stressed the need to consume foods such as yoghurt, fruits and vegetables regularly, saying they promote gut health.
Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise on the issue, a Nutrition Consultant, Mr. Sam Yuwa, said the exact reason for the connection between diets high in saturated fats and poor memory is not yet very clear.
Yuwa, however, said, “It is known that the relationship may be mediated by a gene called apolipoprotein E or APOE. This gene is associated with the amount of cholesterol in the blood and people with a variation of this gene called EPOE e 4 are at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
“About 65 percent of individuals who end up with dementia in their 60s and 70s have this gene and those with this genetic variation have a greater number of beta-amyloid plaques in their brains hence the higher magnitude of their memory challenge.”
The nutrition consultant told our Correspondent in an exclusive interview that in the last decade, evidence had accumulated on the fact that what we eat might have an impact on our ability to remember and our likelyhood of developing dementia as we age.
“it has become clear through the dietary manipulation of the ratios of saturated: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, that the diet can become an intervention, that may enhance or impair brain performance”, Yuwa concluded.
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