Sugar may make you "stupid" but omega-3 might mitigate the effect, rat study suggests

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(CBS News) A sugar-laden diet could make you dumber, according to the authors of a new study. But, don't fret: Omega-3 fatty acids may be able to mitigate the effects.

Sugar should be regulated like alcohol, tobacco, commentary says
CDC: Kids consume too much sugar, mostly from processed foods
60 Minutes: Is sugar toxic?

A UCLA study showed that when a fructose solution was given to rats, they had a harder time figuring out a complicated maze. However, when rats were given both the sugary substance and a supplement high in omega-3 fatty acids, they were able to get through the maze much faster than rats that didn't receive omega-3's.

"Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science, said in a written statement. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."

The findings were published on May 15 in The Journal of Physiology.

U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates show the average American consumes more than 47 pounds of cane sugar and 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup each year, according to the statement.

For the study, two groups of rats were fed standard rat chow and trained on a maze twice a day for five days. Landmarks were placed to help the animals navigate the challenge. Then, the sugary diet was started: One group was given a fructose solution instead of drinking water for six weeks. The other group received the fructose solution as well as flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which are known sources of omega-3 fatty acids. DHA is known to protect against damage between the chemical connections between brain cells, known as synapses, which are essential for memory and learning.

The rats were then put in the same maze and were timed by researchers. Rats on the fructose-only regimen were slower and showed less synapse activity. When their brains were examined, it showed that insulin - a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates synapse function in the brain - was less effective. Gomez-Pinilla believed that the sugar had blocked the insulin's ability to regulate how cells used and stored sugar for energy.

Researchers pointed out that the study results did not refer to consuming naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which have important anti-oxidants, but fructose used in sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup.

Gomez-Pinilla advises people to eat fresh berries and Greek yogurt instead of sweet deserts. He added that unprocessed dark chocolate without lots of extra sweetener was fine too. And, if you have to absolutely have that piece of chocolate cake, Gomez-Pinilla said you might want to couple that with some walnuts, flaxseeds or a daily DHA capsule,

"Our findings suggest that consuming DHA regularly protects the brain against fructose's harmful effects," said Gomez-Pinilla. "It's like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reserve for your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight off future diseases."

The Corn Refiners Association responded to the study in a statement, saying, "Fructose is a common sweetener found in nature and present in fruits, vegetables, fruit juices, and many caloric sweeteners. Humans normally consume fructose in combination with glucose in all these foods and beverages. There is abundant scientific evidence demonstrating that consuming fructose and glucose together is entirely safe due to the way the body metabolizes these simple sugars in combination. As many dietitians agree, all sugars should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced lifestyle."

[amerilatino]

Blah blah blah blah. I don't need "experts" on organic chemistry or nutrition to tell me what's good or bad for me. I already know that stupid manufactured goods, fast food, canned goods, CAFO beef and HFCS are bad for me by the way I feel after I eat them. I learned to cook from a grandmother out of another time and place who lived to be a houseworking 99. Frozen/fresh veggies, fruit, almond milk, virgin olive oil, dry legumes, nuts, brown rice, seafood, fowl, eggs, real cheese and sangria are on my grocery list, the rest can go to the dogs. Did I tell you that I make mean tomato/pesto/olive/mozzarella ciabatta melts and killer paellas?

[kbrum1066]

Like all studies, I find it difficult to accept it. Sugar in excess in a diet does create physiological changes in the body. But the exact changes and the exact responses to the sugars vary so much from individual to individual that it is difficult to determine what they really are. Since science requires the elimination of all other outside variables AND the repeatability by all others, I am not sure that this falls under the category of FACT.
Exactly what were the amounts of the sugar added? Were body masses taken into effect? These are simply a few of many questions that would need to be answered before I would even consider taking this article seriously.
If a subject is given a high enough dose of anything, it can have a detrimental effect things. Give a person enough sugar on a daily basis and it will result in the insulin not working properly or some other similar issue. Once blood sugar is high, then memory and the ability to think are affected. But how much is variable.
Too much or too little of anything usually is not good for you. As they say, the key is moderation. The problem comes in when someone tells you what levels are moderate (or too high or too low) when they simply want to tell you what to do.

[TimeToEvolve]

Maybe this explains why Republicons keep voting against themselves. Or why they can't accept science and facts that normal people are able to comprehend.

[fredisalive]

if that was the case we should be overrun by a large segment of stupid obese people!

[cjfl]

Oh wait.... we are!!

[FargaraJaji]

I tested diabetic since 1998 and I kind of agree with this finding because anytime my sugar levels are high, i experience serious cognitive decline especially in regard to memory and intelectual performamce. I would have love know how diabetic person relates to their findings

[ChrisM777777]

Where does it say anything about HIGH fructose corn syrup in the study?
They were referring to fructose which is a fruit sugar. That's totally different.

[MichaelLiberty]

Uh the article states: A UCLA study showed that when a fructose solution was given to rats, they had a harder time figuring out a complicated maze.

The fructose solution was High fructose corn syrup. ABC news also reported this story using the correct term here:

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/health/UCLA-study-finds-high-fructose-corn-syrup-dumbs-brain-down-hurts-memory-learning-ability

[kevin_hunt]

Hemp oil is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Fish oil has a good blend of omegas, but also mercury. Unfortunately, growing a field of industrial hemp in the US is punishable by the death penalty, so we have to import hemp oil from Canada.

[Curly1844]

by ralphla54 May 18, 2012 9:53 AM EDT

I wonder if ralphla54 has been tapping the sugar bowl again since he did not seem to under what this article is about.

My wife teaches at a community college and there seems to be a marked decline in the ability of the students to do the work. Is it because almost all foods are full of sugar? Most students seems to super size their soft drinks today. When I was in school not many students could afford to buy soft drinks like they do now. Or is because the educational system has failed the students?

[robbcoll]

High fructose corn syrup is not sugar.

[CaptRockyBobb]

Actually they are the same for all intents and purposes. High fructose corn syrup is 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. Ordinary sugar, sucrose, is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. The difference has never been demonstrated to mean anything in any study.

[ralphla54]

I could never figure out why blue collar guys would vote to decrease the taxes of the wealthy when the wealthy pay less that the average worker does when SS medicare and medicaid and state taxes are figured in. I could never figure out why guys who have no heath care or could easily lose their health care would be against the heath care plan. These are the same guys who are over weight and will need medicine for their future diabetes.

I guess the high fructose corn syrup explains why these guys are both fat and stupid.

[MichaelLiberty]

ralphla54 - I was in your same position at one point. The thing is the government spends our tax money so poorly that giving them more seems ludicrous, what so they can start more wars and go on lavish vacations? No thanks. Why would i trust government with ANY tax money is what I think now.

The health care issue is that big pharma wrote the whole bill and I don't trust the drug companies to give me better care, why should I? they've proven they are as corrupt as BP in the gulf, LOL!

The solution is give more money back to the citizen because we can spend our money better than the corrupt government and allow cross state coverage of insurance as well as Canadian generics and health care costs will drop overnight.

High fructose corn syrup contains heavy metals that why you can't think when you consume them. The corn syrup these companies are making are in no way natural

Thanks for playing!