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High fat

Effects of a high-fat diet on memory & cognition

One meal high in saturated fat impairs our concentration

A study looking at how 51 women performed on a test of their attention after they ate either a meal high in saturated fat or the same meal made with sunflower oil (high in unsaturated fat), found their performance was worse after eating the high-saturated-fat meal than after they ate the meal containing a healthier fat.

This is particularly remarkable when you consider that both meals with high in fat, being designed to resemble fast-food meals that you might get at McDonald’s or Burger King. So this is showing that even this slight improvement can have a noticeable effect.

The right diet may slow cognitive decline in stroke survivors

A pilot study involving 106 participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project who had experienced a stroke followed participants for an average of 5.9 years, testing their cognitive function and monitoring their eating habits using food journals. It was found that those whose diets scored highest on the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet score had substantially slower rates of cognitive decline than those who scored lowest.

Eating saturated animal fats increases diabetes risk, but eating lentils reduces it

Data from 3,349 participants in the PREDIMED Study who were free of diabetes at baseline but at high cardiovascular risk, has found that those who consumed higher amounts of saturated fatty acids and animal fat had a twofold higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes over 4.5 years than those with a lower intake of saturated and animal fat. 266 participants developed diabetes during the period.

They also found that those who had a higher intake of legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas) had a 35% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those eating the least amount. The main benefit came from lentils, with chickpeas running second. Those with a higher intake consumed at least 28.75 grams/day (equivalent to 3.35 servings/week).

There was also a positive benefit when half a serving per day of foods rich in protein or carbohydrates (such as eggs, bread, rice and baked potato) was replaced with a similar amount of legumes.

Legumes are rich in B vitamins, with beneficial minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. They have long been thought to protect against type 2 diabetes.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02/uriv-csa021617.php

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/uriv-tco033017.php

Guasch-Ferré, M. et al. 2017. Total and subtypes of dietary fat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) study. Total and subtypes of dietary fat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) study Am J Clin Nutr 2017 105: 3 723-735; First published online February 15, 2017. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.142034

Becerra-Tomás N, Díaz-López A, Rosique-Esteban N, Ros E, Buil-Cosiales P, Corella D, Estruch R, Fitó M, Serra-Majem Ll, Arós F, Lamuela-Raventós R.M, Fiol M, Santos-Lozano J.M, Diez-Espino J, Portoles O, Salas-Salvadó J, PREDIMED study investigators. "Legume consumption is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes incidence in adults: a prospective assessment from the PREDIMED study". Clinical Nutrition (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2017.03.015.

Paleolithic-type diet may help reduce future risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease

For two years, 70 obese postmenopausal women with normal fasting plasma glucose levels ate either a Paleolithic-type diet or a “prudent” diet. The Paleolithic-type diet was based on lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries, with rapeseed, olive oils and avocado as additional fat sources. The diet excluded dairy products, cereals, added salt and refined fats and sugar. 30% of the calories were supposed to come from protein, 30% from carbohydrates, and 40% from fats with high unsaturated fatty acid content. The prudent control diet had a markedly different target: 15% in protein, 30% in fat, and 55% in carbohydrates.

Both groups took part in 12 group sessions led by a dietitian, and kept ongoing records of their food intake.

Both groups lost significant body weight and had significantly less abdominal obesity, but the women eating the Paleolithic-type diet also had significantly lower levels of specific fatty acids associated with insulin resistance, compared with those on the prudent control diet. Presumably this reflects the marked change in the types of fats eaten. At the end of the two years, the women eating the Paleolithic-type diet reported that their intake of saturated fatty acids decreased by 19%, while monounsaturated fatty acids increased by 47% and polyunsaturated fatty acids by 71%.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/tes-apd040116.php

Meat and cheese may be as bad for you as smoking

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

A large long-running study has found that eating a diet rich in animal proteins during middle age makes you four times more likely to die of cancer than a low-protein diet (a mortality risk factor comparable to smoking), 74% more likely to die of any cause within the 20-year study period, and five times more likely to die of diabetes. Even those eating a moderate amount of protein had much higher levels of mortality risk.

However, a high or moderate protein diet is helpful for those over 65, when levels of the growth hormone IGF-I drop off dramatically.

Chronic stress heightens vulnerability to diet-related metabolic risk

Submitted by Fiona McPherson on

A study involving 61 women, of whom 33 were chronically stressed caring for a spouse or parent with dementia, has found that highly stressed people who ate a lot of high-fat, high-sugar food were likely to have:

  • a larger waistline,
  • more truncal fat,
  • higher oxidative damage, and
  • more insulin resistance.

This association was not found among the low-stress women who ate the same amount of unhealthy food.

The findings are consistent with animal studies.

Exercise reduces Alzheimer's damage in brain

A study designed to compare the relative benefits of exercise and diet control on Alzheimer’s pathology and cognitive performance has revealed that while both are beneficial, exercise is of greater benefit in reducing Alzheimer’s pathology and cognitive impairment.

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