Ask Dr. Mike: Can Excessive Fat & Sugar Change How You Think?

Here you'll find the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions posed by Healthy Talk fans.

Listen in because what you know helps ensure healthy choices you can live with. Today on Healthy Talk, you wanted to know:

I read that fat and sugar can change my gut bacteria and ultimately change how I think. This seems farfetched to me. What do you think?

It's true that eating lots of fat and sugar can change the species within your gut bacteria. It can cause imbalances that weren't there before, which can result in infections and other issues. However, Dr. Mike needs to know more about what you mean by think... "thinking" encompasses both cognition and memory.

An article published in June 2015 suggested that high amounts of fat and sugar can cause a loss of cognitive flexibility, which allows you to handle changes in your environment (example: walking from your living room to your kitchen).

If you have a health question or concern, Dr. Mike encourages you to write him at askdrmikesmith@radiomd.com or call in, toll-free, to the LIVE radio show (1.844.305.7800) so he can provide you with support and helpful advice.