Contrary to those high-fructose corn syrup commercials, all sugar is not created equal! According to a new study published in the Journal of Physiology, high-fructose corn syrup causes changes in brain function. And don’t think just because you avoid candy and soda that you’re not affected – you need to read this, too! The processed sweetener is slipped in everything from ketchup and bread to “healthy foods,” too. In fact, the American consumes 40 pounds of it every year!
Researchers at UCLA found that ingesting foods and drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup for just six weeks caused some troubling changes in brain function. “Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” says Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD, a professor of neurosurgery and integrative biology and physiology at UCLA. “Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information.”
According to Rodale, researchers studied two groups of rats: One group downed high-fructose corn syrup in water for six weeks; another dined on high-fructose corn syrup but also received doses of brain-protecting omega-3 fatty acids. Both groups of rats were trained to navigate a maze before given their new diets. After eating the sweetener for six weeks, they were given the maze test again, and the results are astounding.
The rats that didn’t receive the omega-3 brain protection were slower and experienced problems with brain signaling, disrupting critical skills like memory and thinking. Researchers also saw signs of insulin resistance in this group, which could hamper normal energy processing, impacting thoughts, emotions, memory, and learning, according to Gomez-Pinilla. “Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body,” he adds. “This is something new.”
Always read the label before you buy something that could be loaded with high-fructose corn syrup – you never know what it could be lurking in! Opt for organic products when you can; high-fructose corn syrup and other harmful food additives are banned in organic products. And don’t forget about your omega-3s!
