The study finds that a high-fat, high-sugar diet negatively affects memory.
Sydney — A study by the University of Sydney in Australia has revealed that consuming high-fat and high-sugar foods may impair spatial memory. This is the first research to link such a diet with a decline in human spatial memory, a crucial function of the hippocampus — the part of the brain believed to be the center of emotion and memory.
Sydney — A study by the University of Sydney in Australia has revealed that consuming high-fat and high-sugar foods may impair spatial memory. This is the first research to link such a diet with a decline in human spatial memory, a crucial function of the hippocampus — the part of the brain believed to be the center of emotion and memory.
Dominic Tran, a researcher from the university's School of Psychology, said the study involved 55 university students aged between 18 and 38. They completed a dietary questionnaire, a working memory test, and had their body mass index measured before participating in a virtual reality maze navigation task.
After multiple trials, it was found that individuals who consumed high levels of refined sugar and saturated fats performed significantly worse at remembering the location of hidden objects in the maze. This suggests that a diet high in sugar and fat can impair hippocampal function — even in early adulthood. The good news, however, is that these effects can be reversed by switching to a healthier diet.
Nutritional changes can improve hippocampal health and enhance navigational abilities in real-life environments, such as exploring a new city or learning a new route home.
Tran noted that these findings strengthen existing evidence showing that unhealthy diets not only increase physical health risks but also negatively affect brain function — even in young adults, whose cognitive performance is generally still strong. He emphasized the importance of healthy eating for maintaining brain health and preventing cognitive decline.
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