Just 1 Milkshake Can Hurt Your Brain, Researchers Say — Here’s How

Just one milkshake can harm your brain, researchers found — and they’re not talking about brain freeze.

Consuming a high amount of fat, which is typically the case when it comes to drinking milkshakes, has a near-immediate impact on the ability of blood vessels to constrict, according to a study recently published in The Journal of Nutritional Physiology.

For the study, researchers gave two groups of men — 20 between the ages of 18 and 35, and 21 others between the ages 60 and 80 — a high-fat milkshake.

Using ultrasounds, they tested how the blood flowed before drinking the shake, and then four hours later, while the test subjects did squats. 

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The milkshakes each had 1,362 calories total, 48 grams of carbohydrates and nine and a half grams of protein, the study said.

The beverages were also made with 350 milliliters of heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons of chocolate-flavored syrup, one tablespoon of granulated sugar and one tablespoon of instant non-fat dry milk.

Scientists nicknamed the drink the “brain bomb,” per an article written about their research in The Conversation.

“Our findings confirmed previous research that has shown that a high-fat meal impairs the ability of the blood vessels linked to heart health to open in both young and old participants,” the researchers said.

And while the scientists pointed out that the “occasional” high-fat meal is “unlikely to cause harm,” they said it still does have a measurable impact, stating: “Even one fatty meal has an immediate effect on the body.”

They added that the harmful impact was 10% more pronounced in the older group of men who participated. 

According to the scientists, “swings in blood pressure become harder to manage.”

“That can mean brief episodes of too little or too much blood reaching the brain. Over time, this increases the risk of developing conditions like stroke and dementia,” they said.

Their study, the scientists added, “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.”