Abstract
With an increase in longevity, many studies have explored the influences of different lifestyle factors on successful aging. This study hypothesizes that older rats fed with a nutritionally balanced standard diet would perform better on learning tasks than rats fed with either a high-sucrose or a high-saturated fat. It also hypothesizes that older rats fed with a high-sucrose diet would perform better than those fed with a high-saturated fat. The learning abilities of the 15-month-old rats (N = 36) were assessed by conducting forward and reverse learning tasks using a T-maze apparatus. The results showed that rats on a nutritionally balanced diet performed significantly better on both learning tasks than those on either the high-sucrose or the high-saturated fat (p’s < .05). This may be due to the fact that the high-sucrose and high-saturated fat diets exacerbated a cognitive decline in geriatric rats. There was no significant difference between the learning abilities of the rats on a high-sucrose or high-saturated fat diet (p’s > .05). This finding suggests that, at an older age, both high-sucrose and high-saturated fat diets have a similarly detrimental influence on cognitive health.
Highlights
With an overall increase in longevity, many healthcare professionals, researchers, gerontologists, and the general population have become interested in preserving older adults'physical and mental health
Four rats were dropped from the study: three were euthanized due to tumor development and rapid decrease in weight, and one expired during the testing period
The data for one rat on the high sucrose diet and three rats on the high saturatedfat diet were completely removed from the analysis because they were deemed as outliers per our guidelines; they took significantly longer (> additional seven days) to complete the given tasks compared to the rats in their respective diet groups
Summary
With an overall increase in longevity, many healthcare professionals, researchers, gerontologists, and the general population have become interested in preserving older adults'physical and mental health. Previous research explored the impact of factors such as exercise, diet, and social interactions on longevity and overall health in older adults (Jacob et al, 2016). This study hypothesizes that older rats fed with a nutritionally balanced standard diet would perform better on learning tasks than rats fed with either a highsucrose or a high-saturated fat. Results: The results showed that rats on a nutritionally balanced diet performed significantly better on both learning tasks than those on either the high-sucrose or the high-saturated fat (p’s < .05). This may be due to the fact that the high-sucrose and high-saturated fat diets exacerbated a cognitive decline in geriatric rats. Conclusion: At an older age, both highsucrose and high-saturated fat diets have a detrimental influence on cognitive health
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