Previous research shows there are several things that a person does within the first years of life that can have a lasting impact on their brain health as they age, such as cognitive engagement , avoiding head injuries , developing healthy sleeping habits , being physically active , and eating a healthy diet . Now, a new study published in the journal Nature Communications adds to what we know about the link between early healthy eating and lifelong brain health, suggesting that consuming unhealthy foods during childhood can affect how the brain regulates eating in the long term. However, researchers found that interventions targeting the gut microbiome might be able to reverse these negative effects, via a mouse model. For this study, researchers examined how unhealthy eating early in life might impact brain health later in life.
Previous research shows there are several things that a person does within the first years of life that can have a lasting impact on their brain health as they age, such as cognitive engagement , avoiding head injuries , developing healthy sleeping habits , being physically active , and eating a healthy diet .
Now, a new study published in the journal Nature Communications adds to what we know about the link between early healthy eating and lifelong brain health, suggesting that consuming unhealthy foods during childhood can affect how the brain regulates eating in the long term.
However, researchers found that interventions targeting the gut microbiome might be able to reverse these negative effects, via a mouse model.
For this study, researchers examined how unhealthy eating early in life might impact brain health later in life.
“Children today are growing up in food environments where high-fat , high-sugar options are everywhere, at parties, at sports events, and as rewards,” Harriët Schellekens, PhD, BSc, MSc , senior lecturer in the Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience at University College Cork in Ireland, principal investigator with Food for Health Ireland (FHI), group leader with APC Microbiome Ireland and lead principal investigator of this study, told Medical News Today .
“As both a scientist and a parent, I started asking: what are the long-term effects of growing up in that kind of environment?” she said.
“We now know that brain health is influenced by diet and lifestyle from very early in life. Nutrition, movement, sleep, and even the gut microbiota interact with brain circuits that regulate mood, appetite, and cognition. By understanding these pathways, we can identify realistic, preventative strategies that support brain health long before problems emerge,” she explained.
Using a mouse model, researchers found that consuming a high-fat, high-sugar diet early in life may cause enduring changes in how the brain controls eating, even after the unhealthy diet is discontinued.
These changes were linked to the hypothalamus , which plays an important role in satiety and helps control appetite.
“(This) suggests early diet may do more than just influence body weight in the short term — it may shape how the brain’s appetite systems develop,” Schellekens explained. “In our model, we saw that even after the unhealthy diet was stopped, there were persistent changes in food preference and in the brain pathways that regulate eating behavior.”
“That matters because it supports the idea that early life is a sensitive developmental window. If dietary exposure during that period can influence how appetite circuits are wired or regulated, it helps explain why early eating patterns can have long-term effects. Of course, we must be cautious in translating directly to humans, but the findings provide biological insight into why early nutrition may be so important.” — Harriët Schellekens, PhD, BSc, MSc
Additionally, Schellekens and her team discovered that interventions using gut microbiota, including the gut bacteria Bifidobacterium longum , might help prevent the negative impact of unhealthy eating on brain health as we age.
“The significance (of this finding) is that it suggests the gut microbiota may be part of the mechanism linking early diet to long-term changes in eating behavior,” Schellekens said.
“In our study, [w]e targeted the microbiota, including using prebiotics or a specific strain of Bifidobacterium longum APC1472, which we previously had shown to have metabolic benefits. We were able to reduce some of the long-term effects we observed,” she continued.
“[Using probiotics to reduce long-term effects is] important because it indicates these changes may not be fixed or irreversible. It opens up the possibility that microbiota-targeted strategies could help support healthier appetite regulation.” — Harriët Schellekens, PhD, BSc, MSc
MNT spoke with Dung Trinh, MD , internist for the MemorialCare Medical Group and chief medical officer of the Healthy Brain Clinic in Irvine, CA, who commented that his first reaction is that this is a useful reminder that early eating patterns can leave a long “biological imprint” that isn’t always obvious on the surface.
“In this study, even after the animals returned to a healthier diet and their weight normalized, their eating behaviors and the brain circuits involved in regulating food intake still showed lasting changes,” Trinh continued. “The other thing that stood out is the message of plasticity. The researchers weren’t just describing harm — they tested microbiome-targeted approaches and saw partial normalization of those behaviors.”
“It’s early, and it’s in mice, so it’s not a treatment recommendation for people, but it supports something we see clinically: weight alone doesn’t tell the whole story, and biology — and behavior — can be shaped over time.” — Dung Trinh, MD