Posted Aug 17, 2009
In a study in rats, after nine days of a high-fat diet, physical endurance and a decline in cognition appeared, British researchers found.
Oxford University researchers said the findings have implications not only for those eating lots of high-fat foods, but also athletes looking for the optimal diet for training and patients with metabolic disorders.
“We found that rats, when switched to a high-fat diet from their standard low-fat feed, showed a surprisingly quick reduction in their physical performance,” Dr. Andrew Murray, who led the study at Oxford University but now at the University of Cambridge, said in a statement.
“After just nine days, they were only able to run 50 percent as far on a treadmill as those that remained on the low-fat feed.”
“These are startling results,” Kieran Clarke, head of the research team at Oxford University, said. “It shows that high-fat feeding even over short periods of time can markedly affect gene expression, metabolism and physical performance.”
Aug 13, 2009 URL: www.upi.com
