foodconsumer.org: High-fat foods boost memory

High-fat foods boost memory
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admin on 05/05/2009 22:57:00
 
Tuesday May 5, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Lab rats that ate a diet high in
certain fats showed improved memory retention, say researchers at the University
of California, Irvine.
Dr. Daniele Piomelli and his team studied “fat-induced satiety” of rats
using oleoylethanolamide (OEA) acids and found that their memories were improved
while running water maze tasks and avoiding unpleasant experiences.
“These experiments investigated whether hormonal signals released during
feeding might enhance memory of recently experienced contextual information,”
wrote the researchers. They discovered the high levels of the OEA acid can also
reduce appetite, produce weight loss and lower blood cholesterol.
Dr. Piomelli and colleagues hope their work can be used to treat memory related
problems, according to an article in the BBC news. The team discovered that OEA
causes memories to be stored by activating memory-enhancing signals in the
amygdala, the part of the brain that stores retention of emotional events.
Piomelli said the role of OEA may have been a tool for early humans.
“By helping mammals remember where and when they have eaten a fatty meal,
OEA’s memory-enhancing activity seems to have been an important evolutionary
tool for early humans and other animals,” Piomelli told the BBC.
“Remembering the location and context of a fatty meal was probably an
important survival mechanism for early humans.”
But he added that although OEA helps the feeling of fullness after eating, it
could cause long-term cravings for fatty foods which can cause obesity.
Drugs to mimic the action of the OEA compound are being studied to control
dangerous triglycerides.
The study is published on-line (before print) in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)