Shocking new study explains how one milkshake could cause serious harm to your health
Topics: Health, Science, Food and Drink
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: Health, Science, Food and Drink
Milkshakes are one of the yummiest drinks on the market, but they could be putting your health at major risk.
From peanut butter and banana to vanilla and strawberry, chocolate or caramel - there are so many drink options to choose from when you make ice-cream or milk your base.
However, it could put your body out of whack and potentially increase the risk of developing a serious condition in the future.
Of course, there are numerous things that we consume every day that aren't great for us, and surely a simple milkshake can’t be that bad - but you’d be surprised what it contains.
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Dietary fat is essential for us to have, and while it provides us with energy and helps vitamins to be transported and protects our organs, too much can cost us our health.
According to research conducted by the University of South Wales, a single high-fat meal could impair blood flow to the brain, which could then put you more at risk of a stroke and dementia.
So, what does this have to do with milkshakes?
Well, milkshakes are full of unsaturated fats in the dairy.
This can be bad for our brains because our little noggins need constant blood to deliver oxygen and glucose to maintain normal brain function.
To maintain this, the brain will do something called ‘dynamic cerebral autoregulation’, which makes sure blood flows to the organ at a stable pace, regardless of changes to our blood pressure.
But when this is hindered, blood pressure changes are harder to manage and then too much blood could reach the brain.
If this happens, it increases the risk of developing dementia or having a stroke.
Consuming anything high in saturated fat, will increase the levels of fat in the blood, leading to blood vessels become stiffer and restricting blood flow around the body.
The Conversation tested ‘20 young men between the ages of 18 and 35, and 21 men between 60 and 80’ to measure how those blood vessels linked to heart and brain health.
They looked at the four hours after the consumption of a meal high in saturated fat, when the fat peaks in the blood and found that after drinking a milkshake, with 1,362 calories and 130g of fat, things didn’t look good for their health.
It found that the high-fat drink ‘impairs the ability of the blood vessels linked to heart health to open in both young and old participants’.
It also reduced the brain’s ability to pad out changes in blood pressure.
According to the NHS, men should consume a limit of 30g of saturated fat a day, and women should consume less than 20g.
Speaking to The Conversation, the researchers noted that they don't yet know 'how the female brain responds to a high-fat meal'.
They added: "This is a crucial gap in our knowledge since women face a greater risk of stroke and dementia in later life compared to men.
"Our study offers a timely reminder that diet doesn’t just shape our long-term health. It also affects our body and brain in real time.
"And as we’re learning, when it comes to protecting brain health, every meal may count."