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Consumption of a diet high in fat and sugar is associated with worse spatial navigation ability in a virtual environment
Association between nutrition and spatial navigation abilities
Obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, and several types of cancer are associated with the Western diet, which is heavy in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats. Research also suggests this diet negatively affects cognitive function, with regular consumption associated with accelerated cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults. Animal studies have shown that high-fat and high-sugar diets impair brain functions, especially in the hippocampus, influencing spatial learning and memory. Using a virtual reality maze that challenged participants to estimate distance and direction as well as recall landmarks, this study by Tran et al. (2025) investigated the association between nutrition and human spatial navigation abilities. According to the results, young adults who often ate meals high in sugar and fat did worse when it came to discovering a treasure box in the maze. The authors conclude that this association persisted after controlling for confounders like body mass index and non-spatial task performance. The results demonstrate that diet affects cognitive abilities, particularly spatial learning and memory, and align with prior findings from rodent models. This study is the first to show that unhealthy dietary habits can impair three-dimensional navigation skills, emphasizing the importance of healthy eating choices for maintaining cognitive health. [NPID: Western diet, saturated fats, refined sugars, cognitive decline, spatial learning, hippocampus, memory impairment, virtual reality maze, young adults, healthy eating]
Year: 2025
