Bad news for the #blessed among us who endure eating clean during the week, but believe in treating themselves on the weekend.
A study by the University of New South Wales has tragically revealed that bingeing on junk food over the weekend is just as bad for your gut health as eating junk food all the time, which can impact your mental health and leave you more susceptible to disease.
Head of pharmacology at UNSW, Margaret Morris, has been studying the effects of yo-yo dieting on the gut health of rats, and has concluded that your Fri-Sat-Sun binge-fest is a worse idea than you thought.
Morris and her team used three groups of rats for the study:
- One group was given a healthy diet
- The second group ate only human junk food, including high-fat, high-sugar and processed foods
- The third were given a healthy diet for four days of the week, and junk food for three days
The rats that ate junk three days a week not only increased their weight and fat mass, but the environment in their gut also took a hit.
“Although the weight gain was higher in the rats who indulged in junk food, the research revealed the damage to the gut microbiota stayed the same.
“The findings indicate that intermittent exposure to junk food three days a week is sufficient to extensively shift the gut microbiota towards the pattern seen in obese rats consuming the diet continuously.”
“While these findings are yet to be replicated in humans, those who are strict with their diet during the week may be undoing all their good work by hitting the junk food over the weekend,” Ms Morris said.
And sadly no, sippin’ a Diet Coke whilst sitting on a treadmill probs won’t help the cause.
Source: UNSW.
