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Childhood and adolescent obesity and long-term cognitive consequences during aging
This 2015 trial investigated the effects of brief childhood/adolescent obesity and insulin resistance on cognitive function in later life, using a rodent-based model. Nine-week-old C57BL/6J mice were firstly fed a fat-rich diet for 15 weeks to cause the animals to develop obesity and insulin resistance. Later, the mice received normal low-fat diets, after which its body weight decreased back to normal and ability to control glucose levels returned. However, these rodents were found to exhibit severe deficits in learning and long-term memory consolidation at 84 weeks old. It was revealed that expression of histone deacetylases 5 increased and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor decreased in the mice’s brains 61 weeks after stopping the high-fat diet. Compared with control mice, those exposed to the high-fat diet earlier were more susceptible to synaptic impairments in the hippocampal region of the brain. In summary, the induction of obesity and insulin resistance during childhood/adolescence irreversibly changed the rats’ brains, leading to brain synaptic dysfunction during aging. This study provides evidence that even short-term early-life exposure to obesity and insulin resistance may result in destructive long-term effects on the brain and contribute to the onset or progression of cognitive impairment during aging. [NPID: diet, adolescence, obesity, fast food, South Africa, asthma, allergies, childhood, demographics, socioeconomic status, respiratory health]
Year: 2015
