Eating a high-fat meal before surgery may impair memory after surgery; supplements to mitigate brain damage also found
If you've ever had major surgery that required general anesthesia, you may have had the experience of waking up with a sluggish, groggy mind. Studies on animals have shown that consuming fatty foods, like fast food, a few days before surgery may prolong memory loss after surgery.
Post-operative cognitive dysfunction is exacerbated by high-fat diet via TLR4 and prevented by dietary DHA supplementation - ScienceDirect
Fatty food before surgery may impair memory in old, young adults
https://news.osu.edu/fatty-food-before-surgery-may-impair-memory-in-old-young-adults/
Eating Fatty Food Days Before Surgery May Impair Memory: ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/eating-fatty-food-days-before-surgery-may-impair-memory
Apart from ordinary dementia, there is 'postoperative delirium' and ' postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) ' in which cognitive function declines after surgery or anesthesia. Postoperative delirium causes consciousness and sensory impairment after surgery, and in most cases improves over time, but POCD causes neurocognitive system disorders such as memory, attention, and language, which can last for several weeks to several months.
On the other hand, factors other than surgery that can impair cognitive function include 'a diet high in fat, such as fast food.' Past studies have shown that consuming a high-fat diet can worsen the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and depression , and can have a negative impact on learning ability and memory .
The Ohio State University research team divided old and young rats into two groups: one group was fed a standard diet for three days, and the other group was fed a high-fat diet for three days. After the diet, they underwent a procedure similar to abdominal open surgery. Two weeks after the surgery, all the rats were given a memory test.
The results showed that the combination of a high-fat diet and surgery had a detrimental effect on both
We also found that all rats that had been placed on a high-fat diet before surgery had elevated inflammatory gene expression in the hippocampus that persisted for at least three weeks after surgery.
'Our study shows that even short-term unhealthy diets can trigger an inflammatory response that can have detrimental consequences, especially when consumed close to surgery,' said Ruth Barrientos , an associate professor of behavioral neuroscientist at Ohio State University. 'A high-fat diet alone may increase brain inflammation slightly, but when you combine this with surgery in the short term, you create a synergistic reaction that sets you on the path to long-term memory impairment.'
Furthermore, the research team found that administering docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplements to rats one month before they started eating a high-fat diet reduced the inflammatory response after surgery and prevented memory loss in both young and old rats. DHA is an essential fatty acid that is abundant in blue fish such as mackerel and sardines, and has recently been included in a variety of health-protecting foods.
'DHA was effective in preventing these changes, which is surprising, and suggests that DHA may be an effective pretreatment, especially if you're going to have surgery and your diet is unhealthy,' Barrientos said.
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