When it comes to food, people have their favorites. From a simple salad to a slice of pizza, being able to satisfy hunger is always important. Unfortunately, one particular kind of food can alter one’s attention span.
Two Different Meals
Ohio State University wanted to see how fatty foods can affect the attention of individuals. A small group of researchers grabbed 51 random women for this particular study. These women had to eat two separate meals. One meal was filled with saturated fat while the other one featured sunflower oil. With sunflower oil, the meal included a low amount of saturated fat.
A Grand Discovery
During this study, the women switched meals every day for up to four weeks. In the end, it was determined food with a high level of saturated fat had a major impact on the brain. Fatty foods have a better chance of igniting inflammation in the body. Having an inflamed brain will lead to increased fatigue, constant headaches, and brain fog.
Impacted By The Outside World
According to Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research director Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, the coronavirus has transformed eating habits. With stores quickly selling out of healthy foods, people found themselves calling up fast food restaurants for a quick meal. Many people have also been eating fatty foods due to depression caused by the pandemic. “What we know is that when people are more anxious, a good subset of us will find high-saturated-fat food more enticing than broccoli,” Kiecolt-Glaser said in the study. “We know from other research that depression and anxiety can interfere with concentration and attention as well. When we add that on top of the high-fat meal, we could expect the real-world effects to be even larger.”
While it can be tempting to eat fatty foods, sticking to a healthy diet will give you a clearer mind.
