Teens Who Eat Poorly Could Become More Stressed: CA Study

LOMA LINDA, CA -- A study conducted by local researchers found teens who have poor nutrition could experience a harder time dealing with stress as adults. The study, which was published by the journal "Brain, Behavior, and Immunity" was conducted by researchers at Loma Linda University.

The study, conducted among adolescent rats, found that the areas of the brain that handle the fear/stress response were altered to the point that subjects began exhibiting behaviors that mirror post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“The teen years are a very critical time for brain maturation, including how well (or not) we'll cope with stress as adults," said Johnny Figueroa, assistant professor of physiology at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. "The findings of our research support that the lifestyle decisions made during adolescence – even those as simple as your diet – can make a big difference in our ability to overcome every day challenges.”

The study, "Exposure to an obesogenic diet during adolescence leads to abnormal maturation of neural and behavioral substrates underpinning fear and anxiety," investigated the impact of an obesogenic Western-like high-saturated fat diet on the development of brain areas involved in responding to fear and stress, the university said in a press release.

Study findings demonstrate that the consumption of an obesogenic diet during adolescence has a profound effect on phasic and sustained components of fear in the adult rat. Notably, the rats that consumed the high-saturated fat diet exhibited more anxiety, problems with associative and non-associative learning processes and an impaired fear-startle response.

Researchers reported that the animals in the high-saturated fat diet group exhibited alterations in the structure of brain regions associated with PTSD, including the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.

The group also found that the left-brain hemisphere seems to be more vulnerable to the effects of high-saturated fat diet consumption and obesity-related metabolic alterations.

--Photo courtesy of Loma Linda University