Does Sugar Make You Stupid?

 Socar Myles via Compfight

I read a report in Neuroscience News that was thought provoking, to say the least.

In a nutshell, researchers at UCLA took two groups of rats, both fed a diet high in fructose. Both groups were fed a diet of rat feed, and trained on a maze for five days before the experiment. The maze included landmarks so that the rats could more easily remember their way around it. After the five days, one group was fed fructose only while the other group was fed fructose plus flaxseed oil and DHA (both Omega 3 fatty acids).  This went on for six weeks. The results were interesting.

1. The group that received the fructose, but no extra Omega 3, had a measurable decline in their brain activity, and increased their insulin resistance. This was determined by both how fast they navigated the maze, and in examining their brains after the experiment.
2. The second group (with the Omega 3's) performed much better than the first in navigating a maze. 
3. They never explained how well the rat's performance compared to pre-fructose for either group.

The thinking is that too much fructose changes the way your brain responds to insulin, and that DHA can help mitigate much of the damage. So the net-net is to:

1. Cut down the amount of fructose (sugar in whatever form) you consume.
2. If you do eat the sugar, supplement with DHA or another Omega 3 fatty acid like salmon or walnuts at the same time to help mitigate the damage.

So grab the berries and the whole-fat greek yogurt, and throw away the Coke and the chocolate cake!