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Eating junk food like samosas or burgers when you’re stressed may actually increase your anxiety levels, researchers reported Monday.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have found that in animals, a high-fat diet disrupts gut bacteria, alters behavior and changes brain chemistry in ways that increase anxiety.
“It’s surprising to think that just a high-fat diet would change the expression of these genes in the brain,” lead author Christopher Rowley, professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder, said of the findings, published in Biological Research. Rowley said his animal studies suggest that exposure to a very high-fat diet, consisting mostly of saturated fats, especially at a young age, may increase anxiety in the short term and predispose the brain to anxiety in the future.
The study revealed that the group that consumed a high-fat diet had molecular signatures of increased anxiety in their brains.
The researchers looked at the animals’ microbiomes, or gut bacteria, over the course of the study and found that compared with a control group, the high-fat diet group not only gained weight, but also had a significantly reduced diversity of gut bacteria.
This group also had higher expression of three genes involved in the production and signaling of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is associated with stress and anxiety.
Serotonin is often referred to as the “feel good brain chemical,” but when a specific subset of serotonin neurons is activated in animals, it can trigger anxiety-like responses.
Lawry suggests that an unhealthy microbiome could damage the lining of the gut, allowing bacteria to enter the body’s circulation and communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve, which runs from the digestive tract to the brain.
“From an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense,” Rowley says: “We’re hardwired to recognize things that cause disease and avoid them in the future.”
Researchers point out that not all fats are bad: Healthy fats, like those found in fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds, are anti-inflammatory and beneficial for the brain.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have found that in animals, a high-fat diet disrupts gut bacteria, alters behavior and changes brain chemistry in ways that increase anxiety.
“It’s surprising to think that just a high-fat diet would change the expression of these genes in the brain,” lead author Christopher Rowley, professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder, said of the findings, published in Biological Research. Rowley said his animal studies suggest that exposure to a very high-fat diet, consisting mostly of saturated fats, especially at a young age, may increase anxiety in the short term and predispose the brain to anxiety in the future.
The study revealed that the group that consumed a high-fat diet had molecular signatures of increased anxiety in their brains.
The researchers looked at the animals’ microbiomes, or gut bacteria, over the course of the study and found that compared with a control group, the high-fat diet group not only gained weight, but also had a significantly reduced diversity of gut bacteria.
This group also had higher expression of three genes involved in the production and signaling of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is associated with stress and anxiety.
Serotonin is often referred to as the “feel good brain chemical,” but when a specific subset of serotonin neurons is activated in animals, it can trigger anxiety-like responses.
Lawry suggests that an unhealthy microbiome could damage the lining of the gut, allowing bacteria to enter the body’s circulation and communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve, which runs from the digestive tract to the brain.
“From an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense,” Rowley says: “We’re hardwired to recognize things that cause disease and avoid them in the future.”
Researchers point out that not all fats are bad: Healthy fats, like those found in fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds, are anti-inflammatory and beneficial for the brain.
