According to a study by Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, adolescent rats which were fed with food that were high in saturated fats developed poor stress management skills. Regions of the rats' brains that were changed by the diet resembled the affected brain regions in patients with PTSD.
It has been established that brain maturation occurs the most in adolescent years, and current rat studies found that diet influences brain development. The amygala and pre-frontal cortex of the rats with a diet high in saturated fats and normal rat were different. People who consume more saturated fats are more prone to developing PTSD in the face of a traumatic event. Some of the observable symptoms of PTSD, such as the startle effect, were also seen in the rats.
More studies need to be done to determine if the effects of saturated fats on the brain development is permanent, and whether this experiment is able to be replicated in humans.
Category(s):Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) / Trauma / Complex PTSD, Stress Management
Source material from The Science Daily
