Researchers have found that there’s a part of your body that might actually shrink when you eat too much fast food.
Unfortunately, it’s your brain.
People with diets high in trans fats are more likely to experience the kind of brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease than people who consume less of the artery-damaging fats, the new study suggests.
Those with diets high in vitamins C and E, the B vitamins and vitamin D, meanwhile, appear to have larger brains than people with diets low in these nutrients.
And diets high in omega 3 fatty acids seemed to benefit the small blood vessels of the brain — “and the thinking abilities related to those vessels,” said lead investigator Dr. Gene Bowman.
The B vitamins, the antioxidants C and E and vitamin D all seemed to be working in concert in some way the researchers can’t yet fully explain. But the B-C-E-D pattern was associated with greater total brain volume and better global cognitive function. People who scored low on this vitamin combination turned out to have less total brain tissue;
