Dietary Trans fatty acids (dTFA) might improve the taste, texture and durability of processed foods but did you know that these acids are linked to worsened memory function in men?
In a research conducted by the University of California, researchers evaluated data from 1,018 men and women who were asked to complete a dietary survey and memory test involving word recall.
On average, men aged 45 and younger recalled 86 words; however, for each additional gram of trans fats consumed daily, performance dropped by 0.76 words.
Author Beatrice A. Golomb said that trans fats were most strongly linked to worse memory in men during their high productivity years.
Moreover, Trans fatty acids have been linked to negative effects on lipid profiles, metabolic function, insulin resistance, inflammation and cardiac and general health.
Golomb said that she often tells her patients that while trans fats increase the shelf life of foods, they reduce the shelf life of people.
The research is published in the Journal PLOS ONE.
