For 10/17:
Article Source: How highly processed foods harm memory in the aging brain (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211014172753.htm )
Article Summary:
A study by Ohio State University found that a diet of processed foods yielded more memory loss and brain inflammation than foods with omega-3 fatty acids. The study was conducted with aging rats, and notes that brain inflammation was “…significantly elevated…” in the rats that ate processed food, while older rats in this group did not perform as well in behavior experiments. These experiments showed they had problems specifically with their hippocampus and amygdala.
Journal Source: Dietary DHA prevents cognitive impairment and inflammatory gene expression in aged male rats fed a diet enriched with refined carbohydrates (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889159121005043?via%3Dihub )
Journal Summary:
By studying 24-month-old male rats, Ruth M. Barrientos and other researchers find a strong connection between highly processed carbohydrates and poor memory retention. Their study over the course of 28 days, with data being collected from both conditioning tests conducted with electrical shocks as well as the extracted brains of the rats themselves. The results of the study reinforce the importance of an organism’s diet regarding its brain function.
Comparisons:
- The journal abstract notes how the omega-3 fatty acids were given as supplements, while the article quotes one of the researchers in the study noting that humans that wish to improve their memory should do more than just take DHA supplements.
- The journal mentions how only male rats were used in the study, and how the rats were killed and had their brains extracted for further study after 28 days. The ScienceDaily article omitted these details.
- The article did not show any of the histograms from the journal.
- While the article mentions how the rats with the highly processed diets had trouble recalling they were in an “…unfamiliar space…” and showing “…anticipatory fear behavior…”, the journal details further that these spaces would send an electrical shock to the rats, where the researchers would analyze their reactions. The appearance of these spaces were also altered in between tests, creating the unfamiliarity the article mentions.
