While an apple can keep the doctor away, a burger a day can do the opposite and it appears that it may come with other health problems including dementia.
Researches have now found a strong link between the huge calories in fast food burgers and brain diseases including dementia.
According to a study done by the Australian National University (ANU), they found a clear link between an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise with the deterioration of the brain.
An unhealthy diet which consists of highly processed food proves to be harmful not to just the waistline and weight but also to the brain.
This processed food usually contains a high amount of calories, sugar, and fat which makes it detrimental to our health.
According to Professor Nicolas Cherbuin who is the lead author or the study, when combined with a lack of exercise, the poor diet will increase one’s risk of developing dementia and other brain diseases.
“People are eating away at their brain with a really bad fast-food diet and little-to-no exercise,” said Professor Cherbuin.
“We’ve found strong evidence that people’s unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise for sustained periods of time puts them at serious risk of developing type 2 diabetes and significant declines in brain function, such as dementia and brain shrinkage.”
He continued that many people are consuming more calories than they need and that they are eating “the wrong kind of food, particularly fast food” when compared to what people were eating in the 1970s.
“The extra amount of energy that people consume daily compared to 50 years ago means that many people have an unhealthy diet,” he said.
According to Professor Cherbuin, brain health can decline much faster when one practices a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
When the person reaches middle age, the brain damage can no longer be reversed.
He explained that most people have increased their risk of developing brain diseases including dementia throughout their lives by living an unhealthy lifestyle and try to reverse the condition in their 60s when it is already too late.
“The damage done is pretty much irreversible once a person reaches midlife,” he added.
Nevertheless, Professor Cherbuin said that it was just a simple step to avoid brain problems later on in life by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
“One of the best chances people have of avoiding preventable brain problems down the track is to eat well and exercise from a young age,” he said.
“So we urge everyone to eat healthily and get in shape as early as possible – preferably in childhood but certainly by early adulthood.”
