• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
    • Wellness on the Yard
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / / New Research: High-Fructose Corn Syrup Sabotages Learning & Memory

New Research: High-Fructose Corn Syrup Sabotages Learning & Memory

A glass dish filled with yacon syrup
It’s hard to find a pantry without high fructose corn syrup. It’s in cereals, salad dressings, baked goods, fruit juices, crackers and even baby formula. And many of us grew up on it, sucking down the sweetener in pitchers of sweetened juice and eating it every morning in our breakfast cereal.

Celebrate great health! LIKE BlackDoctor.org on Facebook!

A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning — and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption.

READ HelloBeautiful’s List of 5 Power Foods For Women

The study focused not on naturally occurring fructose but instead on high-fructose corn syrup, a substance which is a whopping six times sweeter than cane sugar and commonly used in a wide variety of processed foods and soft drinks.

You May Also Like
View Our Resources To Better Understand How Clinical Trials May Help Advance Research

UCLA Professor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, co-author of the study, stated that the rats that were fed the sugary diet showed a marked decline in their speed as well as a noticeable cognitive decline.

READ BlackAtlas’ Top 12 Healthiest Travel Tips

“Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information,” said Professor Gomez-Pinilla. “Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think. Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage.”

These findings are especially noteworthy since previous research has only been able to link high-fructose corn syrup to health issues including obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, and more. This is the first study investigating the repercussions of a diet rich in high-fructose corn syrup on the brain.

You May Also Like
13 Signs You Need to See a Dermatologist

“We’re not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants,” said Professor Gomez-Pinilla, in order to clarify the important difference between the types of sugars. “We’re concerned about high-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative.”

BREAKING NEWS From HelloBeautiful: Exercise Not As Beneficial For Black Girls As Whites

Gomez-Pinilla and the other co-author of the study, Rahul Agrawal, said that the sugary diet actually changed the brains of the rats in the experimental group.

“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,” Professor Gomez-Pinilla said.

After closely inspecting the brain tissue of the rats, they discovered that the insulin present had likely lost a great deal of its power to control brain cells.

The researchers think that eating a diet heavy in high-fructose corn syrup could actually hinder the ability of insulin to regulate how cells store and use sugar, thus impacting the brain’s ability to process thoughts, emotions as well as its learning and memory-storage capabilities.

Thankfully, they said that working foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids into one’s diet could actually help protect the brain from the potentially disastrous effects of a long term diet consisting of a great deal of high-fructose corn syrup.

“It’s like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reserve for your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight off future diseases,” Professor Gomez-Pinilla said.

June 6, 2012 by Brittany Gatson, BDO Staff Writer

Read Next Article

The Latest In

type 2 diabetes

What is the Best Time of Day to Exercise With Type 2 Diabetes?

If you're one of the millions of folks living with type 2 diabetes, you know that regular exercise can help you keep your blood sugar in check. Now, new research suggests that working out in the afternoon may help maximize read more about What is the Best Time of Day to Exercise With Type 2 Diabetes?
dry skin remedies

10 Dry Skin Remedies That Are Already In Your Kitchen

Research shows that Black Americans may be more likely to have dry skin if they don’t moisturize properly. To make matters worse, it’s usually easier to tell when a Black person’s skin is dry. While there are multiple lotions and read more about 10 Dry Skin Remedies That Are Already In Your Kitchen
prostate cancer questions

5 Questions You Should Be Asking If You Have Prostate Cancer

The healthcare system has failed the Black community. It doesn’t give African Americans the right tools or advice to deal with chronic diseases. When it comes to fatal illnesses, like prostate cancer, Black men are more than likely to die read more about 5 Questions You Should Be Asking If You Have Prostate Cancer
easy ways to eat less

15 Easy Ways To Eat Less (& Still Feel Full)

The most basic way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories. Did you know that there are some very easy ways to drop up to a pound a week - just by trimming 500 calories each day? Give these read more about 15 Easy Ways To Eat Less (& Still Feel Full)

First Lady Michelle Obama Tears up Discussing Her Late Father’s Battle with MS

Living with a disease takes plenty of willpower and determination. Having a chronic illness doesn’t mean we should give up on continuing to live our lives. Last year, former first lady Michelle Obama talked about her father’s undefeatable willpower during read more about First Lady Michelle Obama Tears up Discussing Her Late Father’s Battle with MS

Setting Boundaries With Roommates

Sharing a space with someone you haven't known for long can be difficult. As a college student, you can expect a roommate that has different habits, morals, cleaning styles, and even living experiences than you. Setting boundaries with roommates is read more about Setting Boundaries With Roommates

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Lionel Richie Shares His Top 3 ‘Anti-Aging Secrets’Lionel Richie Shares His Top 3 ‘Anti-Aging Secrets’
  • YouTuber and Relationship ‘Expert’ Kevin Samuels Cause of Death RevealedYouTuber and Relationship 'Expert' Kevin Samuels Cause of Death Revealed
  • Angela Bassett 7-Year Journey to Parenthood: Enjoy the JourneyAngela Bassett 7-Year Journey to Parenthood: Enjoy the Journey
  • ‘COVID Toes’ Might Be a Sign You Had the Disease'COVID Toes' Might Be a Sign You Had the Disease
  • Football Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes AmputatedFootball Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes Amputated

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.