The Negative Impact of Cheat Days on Memory and Brain Health

A new study by UNSW has found that cycling between eating clean and indulging in junk food could impact spatial memory and damage the gut microbiome, leading to weight gain. The study was conducted on adult male rats, and those on unhealthy diets performed poorly in spatial memory tests. Poor diet also led to negative changes in their gut microbiome, boosting the levels of bad bacteria associated with obesity and increasing those linked with an ability to control weight. The study builds on previous research that associated high fat, high sugar diets with poorer cognition in rats and humans.