How A High-Fat Diet May Be Screwing With Your Brain
Kaba/Flickr Photo of fried onion rings via Kaba/Flickr. Neuroscientist Krzysztof Czaja of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine made the case that a high-fat diet changes the composition of gut bacteria in the body, causing the release of toxins that damage the connection between the brain and the gut. But in an analysis of their gut bacteria, Czaja also saw that a certain bacteria that produced neurotoxins had overpopulated in the rats who ate the high-fat diet, while the rats eating normal chow had a more balanced microbiome. “It’s like running a car with partially functioning brakes.” Czaja said that his research doesn't suggest people should avoid all fat as a rule — only that if you were to indulge in, say, fried chicken or a cinnamon roll, it would be best to follow up with vegetables and other healthy foods. However, they also cautioned that people shouldn't replace total fat with carbohydrates, as this does not help lower disease risk and in fact might cause other types of dysfunction.
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