Fructose Gives Rats Memory and Heart Troubles
Here's an idea--get a bunch of lab rats hopped up on sugar and see what happens. Someone tried it, and no, rats don't get a sugar rush.
Instead, they get dopey. Rats fed lots of fructose developed problems with spatial memory.
Spatial memory refers to a person's ability to navigate a familiar place, or the way a rat locates food through a maze. How fitting.
For the study, rats were fed a high fructose diet for 19 weeks, after which they were trained in a maze for 3 days, 8 trials per day. Then 48 hours later, the rats' mental retention was tested.
The results, published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, show rats on a sugary diet took longer figuring out which way to go, displaying "significantly longer latencies" when trying to reach the goal area.
Now here's the freaky part. The memory deficits correlated strongly with rises in triglycerides, a known risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Not fun.
So, if you're lost and having heart problems, perhaps it's time to put the hard candy down!
Via Food Navigator.
When I've had too much sugar, I'm usually too tired to try to get through a maze!
I always thought it was a good idea to consume sugar in moderation, but it is scary to think of the impact on my heart.
ReplyYes, sugar is very bad. Anything that stimulates insulin production causes all kinds of health problems including cancer!!!
ReplyThat spam stuff is driving me crazy! Can you guys block whoever is posting those constant drug spam posts?
As for sugar, too much sugar in rats or people or anything else ain't a good thing! Not pretty! Me a go up & fall back down bad.... nap time!
ReplyThat drug spam is difficult to track because it doesn't link anywhere... strange.
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