Scientists at the University of Sydney have conducted a new study revealing that a diet high in fat and sugar can negatively impact spatial thinking and the ability to remember the location of objects. These cognitive abilities are crucial for video gamers. The findings of this research were published in the International Journal of Obesity.
The study involved 55 students, aged between 18 and 38. Participants initially completed questionnaires detailing their dietary habits. Following this, they were asked to navigate tasks within a virtual maze, requiring them to memorize and pinpoint the location of a hidden treasure chest. The results indicated that individuals who frequently consumed fatty and sugary foods performed significantly worse on these spatial memory tasks. The researchers emphasized that this correlation was not attributed to the participants` body weight or their general memory capacity, suggesting the diet itself played a direct role in the outcome.
We found that young people who frequently consume high-fat and high-sugar foods were worse at remembering the location of a treasure chest in a virtual maze.
Finley Holt