Eating too much [processed, nutrient depleted and therefore nutrient depleting] sugar can eat away at our brain power.This is according to US scientists who published a study showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats' memories.
Researchers at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup -- a common ingredient in processed foods -- as drinking water for six weeks.
One group of rats was supplemented with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [a terrible and harmful source of essential fatty acids, which are better found in more useful 3-6-9 ratios from raw hemp, chia, basil, and other seeds and nuts], while the other group was not.
Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared.
"The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains [which is largely composed of fat and water and protein] showed a decline in synaptic activity," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
"Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."
A closer look at the rat brains revealed that those who were not fed DHA supplements had also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates brain function. [One crucial element that was not measured was GTF chromium levels, which are vital for energy conversion of sugars.] More
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Palestinian prisoners ended a mass hunger strike aimed at improving their conditions in Israeli prisons after reaching a deal with Israeli authorities. The success of the collective action in wresting concessions from Israel has some Palestinians calling for a greater emphasis on nonviolence in their opposition to Israeli policies.
