Frequent consumption of sweetened drinks during adolescence can lead to impairment of learning and memory processes, researchers from the University of Southern California (USA) report.
Animal studies show that drinks containing high fructose corn syrup or sucrose cause inflammation in the hippocampus and impair the ability to acquire and remember new information when consumed during adolescence.
Scientists conducted an experiment in which they gave rats daily access to sweetened drinks for a month. Then they subjected them to cognitive tests.
It turned out that adult animals coped well with all tasks. However, rats that drank the sweetened beverages while adolescents exhibited significant losses in learning and memory.
It’s no secret that refined carbohydrates, especially those consumed in the form of drinks, can lead to metabolic dysfunction. However, the results of our study show that the consumption of sweetened beverages violates the brain processes responsible for remembering essential information about the environment, at least if the overconsumption occurs before adulthood, says research coordinator Dr. Scott Kanoski.
The results of this effort will be presented at this year’s Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) conference, which is taking place July 29 – August 2 in Seattle (USA). (PAP)