A new study suggests that high-fat eating, even for just a few days at a time, takes its toll on both exercise performance and short-term memory.
So if you’ve noticed that you’re feeling a bit fuzzy in the memory department or your exercise performance is slipping, you might want to take a look at your dietary fat intake.
Researchers at Cambridge University found that both rats and humans (healthy males) experienced a similar drop in both exercise performance and cognitive function after consuming a high-fat diet for several days.
When I say high-fat I’m talking about a diet, in this study at least, that contained 55% fat.
Why would a high-fat diet influence these two factors?
It might be because a high-fat diet reduces your ability to efficiently use glucose. Glucose is needed for brain function.
As for exercise performance, a high-fat diet causes the body to release certain proteins that can reduce metabolic efficiency. This ultimately hinders physical performance.
So the point here is that regardless of the sources of fat in your diet, fat is still fat and too much of it detracts from optimum health and function.
Experiment for yourself and see if decreasing dietary fat, if you’re in the high dietary fat consumption group, helps you feel less fuzzy. Also be aware of better exercise performance.
In other words, let your body tell you YOUR optimal fat intake. For most of us it’s likely way less than we’re currently consuming!
shelli
This was very interesting to me, Shelli. It seems fashionable around the Internet these days to promote a high-fat, virtually-no-starchy-carb diet. (A number of bloggers suggest this!) So I experimented a bit myself. The high-fat diet took care of cravings and blood sugar swings, which was quite nice for me. But I worry about the memory connection, as my dad suffered from AD. Did the study suggest a safe percentage of fat? Should we stick to 30%, as is typically recommended?
Hi
The body needs fats for nerve function. Humans have a want .This want leads to over supply. Over supply clogs the system creating blockages. In the case of nerves its the flow of electrical impulses . The brain is our biggest bundle of nerve conections leading through the spinal cord to the body as a whole. Disturbed impulses can manifest in varius ways ( reduced memory ,disrupted immune response , diabetic condition , blood vessel disturbance ,skin conditions , eye problems ,etc ). The rule of thumb is 80/10/10 . 80% carbos in as natural form as possible . 10% protein also least amount of processing. 10% fats .
The thing of 3 meals a day is one if not the main problem for supply issues. We are grazzers by nature .
The body runs on a 3 X 8 hour cycle system . 4 am till 12 noon is the elimination cycle ( morning toilets / need for high moisture foods to replenish what fluid was given ) . 12 noon till 8 pm is the digestion cycle ( complex digestive foods should be taken as early as possible in this part eg lunch . If tea time is needed best before 6 pm to give stomach 2 hours to get the job done ) . 8 pm till 4 am is the assimilation cycle ( rest , sleep ,repair , recharge . This is the time when the transfer of the nutrients and wastes happens at cellular level . Blood comes into its own at this time )
Life is for living enjoy it.
Sorry. If I ate this way, Jan, I would have not a stitch of muscle on me, nor little energy to weight train the way I do.
I never heard that “rule of thumb.” Seems awfully low fat and high carb.
I believe that everyone’s needs are unique. We all come from different eating patterns, different parts of the planet. While someone might flourish on such a low fat and low protein diet, another would surely suffer.