Lead author of the study, Ruth Barrientos, from The Ohio State University Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, said, “The fact that we see these effects so quickly is somewhat troubling. These findings suggest that eating a processed diet can lead to sudden and significant memory deficits, and in old age, the likelihood of rapid memory deterioration in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s increases. By realizing this, perhaps we can reduce manufactured foods in our diet and increase consumption of omega-3 fatty acid foods to prevent or slow this progress. “
To determine these effects, the researchers produced foods similar to long-lasting packaged products, such as potato chips and other snacks.
They then allocated 3- and 24-month-old mice to their natural food, processed foods or the Omega 3DHA diet itself.
The results revealed a marked increase in signs of inflammation in the rodents that processed only the processed diet.
Older mice on the processed diet showed marked signs of amnesia that were not apparent in the smaller rodents.
In contrast, rodents consuming DHA-containing manufactured foods were protected from inflammatory reactions and amnesia.
The team concluded that the omega-3 fatty acid DHA prevents memory loss and almost completely inhibits inflammatory effects in mice.
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