{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1620419,
        "msgid": "childhood-junk-food-habits-can-leave-long-term-marks-on-the-brain-1773748351",
        "date": "2026-03-17 18:00:00",
        "title": "Childhood Junk Food Habits Can Leave Long-Term \"Marks\" on the Brain",
        "author": "Wisnubrata",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "Recent scientific research has revealed that consuming high-fat and high-sugar diets during childhood can produce lasting changes in the brain's hunger regulation systems, even after individuals return to healthy eating patterns and normalise their weight. The hypothalamus, which functions as the brain's \"hunger thermostat\", appears to remain disrupted long-term, suggesting that early dietary exposure creates hidden neurological effects that extend beyond visible body weight changes and may increase obesity risk in adulthood.",
        "content": "<p>For years, many of us have grown up with a simple message: eating\njunk food makes you fat. Consequently, the classic advice continues to\nbe repeated\u2014eat vegetables, avoid sugary foods, and do not\noverindulge.<\/p>\n<p>However, recent research reveals that the story is far more complex\nthan that.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists have discovered that high-fat and high-sugar dietary\npatterns beginning in early childhood can leave long-lasting imprints on\nthe brain. Remarkably, these changes can persist even after someone\nswitches to a healthy diet and returns to a normal weight.<\/p>\n<p>This means that the impact of junk food extends beyond the numbers on\na scale\u2014it also concerns how the brain \u201clearns\u201d to respond to food.<\/p>\n<p>The results are quite surprising.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers found that the hypothalamus\u2014the part of the brain that\nfunctions as the \u201chunger thermostat\u201d\u2014remains disrupted even after test\nsubjects returned to a healthy diet. The signals that are supposed to\nregulate hunger and satiety do not work normally. It is as if the brain\nhas \u201cadapted\u201d to the poor dietary pattern and struggles to return to its\noriginal state.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the long-term damage is not stored in body fat but\nembedded within the brain\u2019s operating system.<\/p>\n<p>However, this research demonstrates that this approach can be\nmisleading.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we eat early in life truly matters,\u201d said Dr Cristina\nCuesta-Mart\u00ed, the lead author of the study from University College\nCork.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExposure to dietary patterns early on can leave hidden long-term\neffects on eating behaviour that are not always visible through body\nweight alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This means that a child may appear physically healthy but still carry\nchanges in their brain that increase the risk of obesity later in\nlife.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/childhood-junk-food-habits-can-leave-long-term-marks-on-the-brain-1773748351",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}