Children may be drawn to greasy fries and burgers , but fatty foods can reduce the speed at which their brains work , according to a new study . It found that children who ate a diet higher in saturated fats and cholesterol had slower reaction times and a poorer working memory . Children who ate the fatty diet performed worse when they were given a task-switching game to complete , the researchers said . A new study has found that children who ate a diet higher in saturated fats and cholesterol had slower reaction times and a poorer working memory . A stock image is pictured . For the study , scientists at the University of Illinois recruited 150 children aged between seven and 10 and gave them a game which involved learning a pattern between a set of shapes and colours . The game was designed to test cognitive flexibility , which is our ability to shift attention , select information and alter our response strategy to fit the changing demands of a task . Their performance was then compared with a food diary that the children had completed with the help of their parents , and which was overseen by a dietician . 'Children consuming diets higher in saturated fats exhibited longer reaction time during the task condition requiring greater amounts of cognitive flexibility , ' the study says . A stock image of neurons is shown . Researchers at Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences claim that eating fatty food for just five days can change the body 's metaboilsm for the worse . This is because it disrupts the way muscles break down sugar in the blood and potentially lead to long-term problems such as weight gain , obsesity and other health problems . 'Most people think they can indulge in high-fat foods for a few days and get away with it , ' said Matt Hulver , an associate professor at the college . 'But all it takes is five days for your body 's muscle to start to protest . 'This research shows that our bodies can respond dramatically to changes in diet in a shorter time frame than we have previously thought . Students were given a diet containing 55 per cent fat and after five days muscle samples were collected to see how they metablised sugar . Dr Hulver and his team found that after five days of eating lots of fat , the muscles ' ability to oxidise glucose was disrupted , meaning that it was n't broken down into energy as easily . Writing in the journal Appetite , the researchers said : ‘ Cognitive flexibility is important because it comprises the ability to switch perspectives in daily life – for example , viewing a problem from the point of view of others or from a different direction , and involves being flexible enough to adjust to changing demands or priorities . ‘ Following adjustment of confounding variables - age , sex , socioeconomic status , IQ , VO2max ( the rate at which the body can use oxygen during exercise ) and BMI , children consuming diets higher in saturated fats exhibited longer reaction time during the task condition requiring greater amounts of cognitive flexibility . ‘ Further , increasing saturated fat intake and dietary cholesterol were correlated with greater switch costs ( such as the difference in performance and accuracy between repeating a task and switching a task ) , reflecting impaired ability to maintain multiple task sets in working memory and poorer efficiency of cognitive control processes involved in task switching . ‘ These data are among the first to indicate that children consuming diets higher in saturated fats and cholesterol exhibit compromised ability to flexibly modulate their cognitive operations , particularly when faced with greater cognitive challenge. ’ Previous studies have found that aerobic fitness and obesity can also affect a child ’ s cognitive flexibility .
University of Illinois researchers gave 150 children a pattern game . It was designed to test cognitive flexibility , which is our ability to shift attention and select information to fit the changing demands of a task . The kids were given two sets of cards : one with pictures that they had to match up in order to get points ( like " A ) or B ; Found those who ate fatty food had slower reaction times and worse working memories than children who ate healthier diets .