And the Western high-fat diet activates the immune system, causing inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response that kicks in when the body feels threatened, and while that’s useful in small doses, inflammatory responses damage cells and even entire organs when triggered too frequently. Indeed, according to a recent book, the Western diet is associated not only with diseases like cancer, but with cognitive decline, because it contributes to inflammation and an unhealthy microbiome. Cheese, too, is high in saturated fat, so it was hard not to conclude that what I’d thought was a decent meal was actually pretty unhealthy. The Western diet is defined as “high dietary intake of saturated fats and sucrose and low intake of fiber” which are all abundant in processed foods, like white bread and many packaged items. Why? Everything I read about diet and cognition suggested that I should reduce my consumption of the foods that are associated with the “Western diet.” With this in mind, I reluctantly ditched my lunch of cheese sandwich with tomato, some variation of which I eat almost every day. And since the brain’s energy consumption far outpaces its size relative to the rest of the body, it makes sense that “the mechanisms that are involved in the transfer of energy from foods to neurons are likely to be fundamental to the control of brain function” (Gomez-Panilla). But the food you consume can alter your immune responses, your mood, and your ability to process information. After all, we can see our bodies and the changes that they undergo as our diets change. We tend to think of foods’ impact on our bodies, not our minds. Consult your physician before changing your diet.
This article provides information about ongoing scientific research and does not provide any medical advice.
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