Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.
Appetite. 2013 Apr;63:119-28. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.12.018. Epub 2013 Jan 3.
Animal work over the last three decades has generated a convincing body of evidence that a Western diet - one high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates (HFS diet) - can damage various brain systems. In this review we examine whether there is evidence for this in humans, using converging lines of evidence from neuropsychological, epidemiological and neuroimaging data. Using the animal research as the organizing principal, we examined evidence for dietary induced impairments in frontal, limbic and hippocampal systems, and with their associated functions in learning, memory, cognition and hedonics. Evidence for the role of HFS diet in attention deficit disorder and in neurodegenerative conditions was also examined. While human research data is still at an early stage, there is evidence of an association between HFS diet and impaired cognitive function. Based upon the animal data, and a growing understanding of how HFS diets can disrupt brain function, we further suggest that there is a causal link running from HFS diet to impaired brain function in humans, and that HFS diets also contribute to the development of neurodegenerative conditions.
过去三十年来的动物研究工作积累了令人信服的证据，证明西方饮食——高饱和脂肪和精制碳水化合物（HFS 饮食）——会损害各种大脑系统。在本综述中，我们使用神经心理学、流行病学和神经影像学数据的汇聚证据来检验这在人类中是否存在证据。利用动物研究作为组织原则，我们研究了饮食引起的额叶、边缘系统和海马系统损伤的证据，以及它们在学习、记忆、认知和享乐主义方面的相关功能。我们还研究了 HFS 饮食在注意缺陷障碍和神经退行性疾病中的作用。虽然人类研究数据仍处于早期阶段，但有证据表明 HFS 饮食与认知功能受损之间存在关联。基于动物数据以及对 HFS 饮食如何破坏大脑功能的理解不断加深，我们进一步提出，HFS 饮食与人类大脑功能受损之间存在因果关系，而且 HFS 饮食也会导致神经退行性疾病的发生。
