VIDEO
Junk food and your brain
It makes us sad, impulsive and even stupid! RMIT researchers have laid out the five ways junk food changes our brains.
VIDEO TITLE: FIVE WAYS JUNK FOOD CHANGES OUR BRAIN
AMBIENT MUSIC PLAYS
TITLE: Five ways junk food changes your brain
VISUAL: a hamburger patty with melting cheese cooks on a grill.
TITLE: 1. It gets you high
TITLE: Our brains reward us for doing pleasurable things - like eating doughnuts or burgers.
VISUAL: Hamburger and chips
TITLE: When we eat junk food our brain circuits fire releasing dopamine.
VISUAL: MRI scans of the human brain
TITLE: But the brain can become overwhelmed by pleasure.
VISUAL: a 3D animated model of the human brain
TITLE: It adapts, creating more dopamine receptors
TITLE: meaning you need more junk food to get the same “kick”.
VISUAL: Animated human brain showing simulated electronic activity
TITLE: Just like an addict needs more drugs to get the same high.
TITLE: 2. It makes you impulsive
VISUAL: Pan of smarties or M&M sweets.
TITLE: We need a well-developed pre-frontal cortex to control the impulse centre of our brain.
TITLE: But this area doesn’t mature until our early 20s.
VISUAL: young girl eating a burger.
TITLE: Our research shows having lots of sugary drinks when you’re young could affect brain development.
VISUAL: Cola being poured from a can in slow motion.
TITLE: We got teenage rats to drink sugar water and tested them on decision-making tasks as adults.
VISUAL: Two white laboratory mice
TITLE: Those that had sugar as teens found it harder to follow rules later in life.
TITLE: 3. It can inflame your brain
TITLE: Just five days on a sugary diet can lead to inflammation of the hippocampus.
VISUAL: Brightly coloured iced doughnuts
TITLE: That’s the part of your brain that helps you realise you’re full.
VISUAL: Animated human brain showing simulated electronic activity
TITLE: People with damage to the hippocampus report feeling hungry all the time.
VISUAL: Woman eating large burger
TITLE: A vicious cycle of hunger and inflammation.
VISUAL: Cake with cherry on top being sprinkled with icing sugar.
TITLE: 4. Junk food shrinks your ability to learn
VISUAL: Time lapse of Bacon cooking and shrinking in a frying pan
TITLE: Yes, junk food can make you dumb.
VISUAL: Man sitting on a train line reading a map.
TITLE: A diet full of junk reduces neuroplasticity – vital for creating new memories and learning new things quickly.
VISUAL: Animation simulating the neurological construction of the brain
TITLE: People on healthy diets outperform people who eat junk in simple memory tests.
VISUAL: young boy writing an essay using pen and paper
TITLE: 5. Junk food makes us sad
VISUAL: Interior of a working kitchen, chefs prepare food near large fryers and grills
TITLE: New neurons are constantly born in the hippocampus.
VISUAL: Animation of the human brain
TITLE: But eating junk can reduce that “birth rate”.
TITLE: Research has found a link between having fewer young neurons and mental health disorders – including depression.
VISUAL: Blurred face behind a window covered in rain droplets
TITLE: Junk food can make us feel pleasure when we are sad, so we eat more, which makes us sadder.
VISUAL: Woman riding an exercise bike with pizza in one hand and a soft drink in another
TITLE: Another vicious cycle.
TITLE: 6. Bonus point – the good news
VISUAL: Young girls eating ice-cream
TITLE: You can take simple steps to keep your brain (and body) in shape.
VISUAL: Slow motion of a woman running in the park, close up of her feet.
TITLE: Eat fresh fruit and veggies - they’re full of antioxidants that fight inflammation.
VISUAL: Pan of fresh fruit and vegetables
TITLE: Get more oily fish and avocados in your diet - great for increasing your neuron “birth rate”.
VISUAL: A grilled fish salad.
VISUAL: Half a ripe avocado
TITLE: And do some cardio exercise – it boosts neuroplasticity in the brain.
TITLE: Shaping the world - rmit.edu.au
VISUAL: Animated RMIT University logo
AMBIENT MUSIC FADES OUT
END OF TRANSCRIPTION
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