Australian Study: Excess Sugar Consumption Hampers Memory Recovery

Sydney — Improving diet quality can boost memory, but high sugar consumption can cause permanent cognitive damage, according to a study in Australia. The study, led by researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia, examined how changes in dietary intake affect memory and brain function, according to a statement from UTS released on Monday, 18 May.

The findings, published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience, analysed 27 preclinical studies to investigate whether memory function can recover after switching from unhealthy to healthier dietary intake. “Our results show that improving dietary quality does indeed benefit memory. But the improvement is not complete. Even after several weeks of healthy eating, memory does not return to the level seen in animals that never consumed unhealthy food,” said Simone Rehn, the study’s lead author from UTS.

The researchers found that rodents switching to a healthier diet performed better on memory tasks than rodents that continued consuming high-fat or high-sugar foods. However, memory recovery depended on the composition of the diet. Recovery was seen in experiments using high-fat intake, but not seen in experiments using high-sugar intake or a combination of high-fat and high-sugar, the researchers stated.

“This suggests that sugar may be a key factor in limiting memory recovery,” said Rehn. She added that the memory tasks analysed reflect hippocampal function, an area of the brain essential for learning and memory, as well as functions involved in appetite regulation and food intake.

The study did not find consistent improvements in anxiety, activity levels, or motivation towards food, indicating that the effects are specific to memory.