High consumption of trans fats linked to poorer memory in men

Date: Nov-20-2014 In a new study of hundreds of healthy working-age men, researchers found that

those who ate the most trans fats performed the worst on memory tests.

Researchers found that men who consumed high levels of trans fats performed poorer on memory tests.

The researchers found that the links were just as strong when they took into

account other factors that might influence them.

The study findings were recently presented at the American Heart Association's

Scientific Sessions 2014 in Chicago, IL.

Lead author Beatrice A. Golomb, professor of medicine at the University of

California-San Diego, notes that health studies have previously shown trans fat

consumption is linked to heart disease, aggression and higher body weight. In this latest study, Prof. Golomb says they found:

"Trans fats were most strongly linked to worse memory in young and middle-aged

men during their working and career-building years."

She says she tells her patients that "while trans fats increase the shelf life of

foods, they reduce the shelf life of people."

For their study, Prof. Golomb and her colleague studied a group of 1,000 healthy people

without heart disease, including nearly 700 men aged 20 and over. The remaining

participants were postmenopausal women.

The researchers note that their analysis focused primarily on the men as they were

the only ones represented at all adult ages.

Working-age men who consumed the most trans fats performed worse in memory tests

From questionnaires the participants had completed about their diet, the

researchers estimated their trans fat consumption.

The participants also underwent assessments of memory performance. They were shown

a series of 104 cards with words on them. For each card, they had to say whether they

had seen the word before or whether this was the first time it had been shown to

them.

The results showed that for men under 45 years of age, eating more trans fats was

linked to notably worse performance on the word memory tests.

This link was still strong when the researchers took into account potential

influencers, such as age, education, depression and ethnicity.

The analysis showed each extra gram of trans fat consumed per day was linked to an estimated

0.76 fewer words recalled.

For those who ate the most trans fats, this translated to 11 - or more than 10% -

fewer words remembered, compared with those who ate the least amount of trans fats. The

average number of words correctly remembered was 86.

When they repeated their analysis with the full sample - that is, including the

postmenopausal women - the researchers found the same results, suggesting it is not

just men that are affected.

They suggest that further studies should be done to confirm that these conclusions apply to

working-age women; their dataset did not have any information on this group.

Trans fats increase oxidative stress, affecting cell energy

Speculating on the reasons why trans fats may have this effect on memory, Prof.

Golomb explains that:

"Foods have different effects on oxidative stress and cell energy. In a previous

study, we found chocolate - which is rich in antioxidants and positively impacts cell

energy - is linked to better word memory in young to middle-aged adults.

In this

study, we looked at whether trans fats - which are pro-oxidant and linked adversely to

cell energy - might show the opposite effect, and they did."

Oxidative stress arises when the balance between the reactive oxygen species (free

radicals) and antioxidant defenses is disturbed. It is associated with the

development of diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

Trans fats are the result of a process that converts liquid oils into solid fats.

The food industry uses them to extend the shelf life of foods such as margarines,

fast foods, various baked goods, frozen pizzas, snacks, coffee creamers and some

refrigerated doughs.

Read nutrition labels to check trans fat content of food

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are targeting trans fats to reduce amounts in the US food supply.

Meanwhile, Medical News Today recently learned of new research that shows

while trans fats consumption in the US has come down, it

is still not low enough.

Prof. Golomb advises consumers to read the nutrition labels on foods and check

the amount of trans fats they contain.

The American Heart Association website contains a section on understanding food nutrition labels.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Not to be reproduced without permission.

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Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.