Navigation
The impact of saturated fat, added sugar and their combination on human hippocampal integrity and function: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Impact of Western-Style Diet on Hippocampal Function and Brain Health in Humans
Similar to findings in animal research, emerging evidence suggests that a Western-style (WS) diet—characterized by high levels of saturated fat and added sugar—negatively affects human hippocampal function. However, the specific conditions under which this impairment occurs remain unclear, and some studies have failed to detect such effects. A systematic study or meta-analysis hasn’t been done on this subject yet.This study by Taylor et al. (2021) involved a systematic database search and review, identifying twenty relevant studies, two experimental and the rest correlational. The correlational studies were analyzed in a meta-analysis to assess the impact of a Western-Style diet and its macronutrient components on hippocampal function. Additionally, the influence of age and sex was examined. The results indicated that a WS diet adversely affects hippocampal volume and function in humans, though individual macronutrients did not show significant effects. High heterogeneity among studies was noted, which was not entirely explained by sample or study characteristics, possibly due to varying dietary intake and hippocampal function assessment methods. Overall, findings confirm that, as seen in animals, a WS diet negatively influences human hippocampal function. [NPID: Cognition, high fat diet, high sugar diet, hippocampus, human models, learning and memory, Western-style diet]
Year: 2021
