Give Now  »

Noon Edition

Fast Food May Impede Brain Function

If you take a trip to the drive-thru night after night, you may begin to notice that you feel weighed down... and not just on the scale!

New studies show that the amount of fatty foods test rats consume is linked to the dopamine levels produced by the brain. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that affects both mood and energy level.

What the experiments revealed was that in rats consuming a high-fat diet, dopamine levels were significantly lower than rats following a standard, low-fat diet.

This suggest that you will feel sluggish, less motivated to work, and maybe even depressed when taking in a lot of fatty foods.

Now, isn't that a high price to pay for a lost-cost meal?

Read More:

  • A High-Fat Diet Alters Crucial Aspects of Brain Dopamine Signaling (ScienceDaily)
  • Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB)


Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, and for more A Moment of Science updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!

Support For Indiana Public Media Comes From

About A Moment of Science