近日，来自美国加州大学圣地亚哥分校的研究人员发现饮食中反式脂肪酸含量越多，越容易发生记忆功能减退，特别是对于45岁左右的男性来说。反式脂肪酸是一种在加工食品中常用的添加剂，主要用于提升口感，延长保存时间，保证食物不易变质。

　　研究人员对1018名男性和女性进行了分析，要求他们填写一份饮食调查并进行了包括词汇回想在内的记忆检测。结果表明，年龄为45岁以及更年轻的男性平均能回想起86个单词，而每天额外多摄入1克反式脂肪酸，单词记忆结果就会下降0.76。与不食用反式脂肪酸的年轻男性相比，那些摄入最高量反式脂肪酸的年轻人平均少记住12个单词。

　　研究人员指出，反式脂肪酸与处在最佳生育年龄的男性的记忆力存在非常显著的关联性，之前一些研究发现食用反式脂肪酸与不良行为和不良情绪的产生有很大关系，而这项研究首次发现食用反式脂肪酸还与记忆力减退存在关联。

　　研究人员在对年龄，运动情况，受教育情况，种族和情绪等因素进行了校正之后，饮食中反式脂肪酸含量越高，45岁及更年轻男性的记忆力越差的情况仍然存在。该研究结果主要聚焦在男性是因为研究中处于该年龄段的女性参与者较少，但将女性的结果包括进来之后，并不会改变整体的结论。除此之外，在年龄更大的群组中，反式脂肪酸与单词记忆能力之间并无明显关联性，这表明饮食对记忆的影响在年轻群组中更加明显。

　　总得来说，该研究发现反式脂肪酸摄入增加与记忆力减退存在显著关联。而最近美国FDA宣布，表示将在3年内完全禁止在食品中使用人造反式脂肪，这对于提升食品安全性，保证人类健康具有重要意义。

　　DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128129

　　A Fat to Forget: Trans Fat Consumption andMemory

　　Beatrice Alexandra Golomb , Alexis K.

　　Purpose

　　We sought to assess the relation of dietary trans fatty acid (dTFA) consumption to word-memory.

　　Methods

　　We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 1999-2005 UCSD Statin Study. Participants were 1018 adult men and non-procreative women age ≥20 without diagnosed diabetes, CVD, or extreme LDL-cholesterol. Primary analyses focused on men, as only men (N = 694) were effectively represented in younger adult ages. "Recurrent words" assessed word memory. dTFA (grams/day) estimates were calculated from the Fred Hutchinson Food Frequency Questionnaire.Regression, stratified at age 45, assessed the relation between memory and dTFA in variousadjustmentmodels. Major findings were replicated in the full sample (including women). Potential mediators were examined.

　　Results

　　An age-by-dTFA interaction was significant. dTFA adversely predicted memory in younger adults (only), robust to adjustment model. Each gram/day dTFA was associated with an estimated 0.76 fewer words recalled (full model) (SE = 0.27, 95%CI = 0.22,1.3, P = 0.006). Adjustment for systolic blood pressure, waist circumference and BMI (but not lipid or glycemic variables) attenuated the relationship, consistent with mediation by factors involving, relating to, or concurrently influencing, these factors.

　　Conclusion

　　Greater dTFA was significantly associated with worse word recall in younger adults. Prooxidant and energetic detriments of dTFA and triangulation with other evidence offer prospects for causality.