Fast food may be linked to memory loss

Australian scientists have reached the conclusion that fast food is linked to memory loss after an experiment in which mice were given a diet of sugar and grease.

After only six days of the diet, before they got fat, they began to lose their memories.

The mice were found to have an inflamed hippocampus – the part of the brain that deals with memory.

The scientists commented that it was too early to confirm the causal link between fast food and memory loss but they thought that the inflammation of the hippocampus was highly relevant to cognitive decline.

They also pointed out that it was difficult to extrapolate the findings to humans but there was existent data from humans who had volunteered for similar experiments.

Manny Noakes, nutritional expert with the Australian Organisation for Industrial and Scientific Investigation, said that the study provoked thought on the impact of fast food on people as they aged.