DRINKING SUGAR SWEETENED BEVERAGES DURING ADOLESCENCE IMPAIRS MEMORY
Research to be
presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive
Behavior (SSIB) finds that daily consumption of beverages sweetened with
high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose can impair the ability to learn and
remember information, particularly when consumption occurs during adolescence
Both
adult and adolescent rats were given daily access to sugar-sweetened beverages
that mirror sugar concentrations found in common soft drinks. Adult rats that
consumed the sugar-sweetened beverages for one month performed normally in
tests of cognitive function; however, when consumption occurred during adolescence
the rats were impaired in tests of learning and memory capability.
The
lead author, Dr. Scott Kanoski from the University of Southern California,
says, "It's no secret that refined carbohydrates, particularly when
consumed in soft drinks and other beverages, can lead to metabolic
disturbances. However, our findings reveal that consuming sugar-sweetened
drinks is also interfering with our brain's ability to function normally and
remember critical information about our environment, at least when consumed in
excess before adulthood."
In
addition to causing memory impairment, adolescent sugar-sweetened beverage
consumption also produced inflammation in the hippocampus, an area of the brain
that controls many learning and memory functions.
"The
hippocampus is such a critical brain region for memory function," says
Kanoski. "In many ways this region is a canary in the coal mine, as it is
particularly sensitive to insult by various environmental factors, including
eating foods that are high in saturated fat and processed sugar."
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