In a recent study, researchers have shed light on how early consumption of a Western diet — characterized by high levels of processed foods, saturated fats, and simple sugars — can lead to lasting deficits in hippocampal-dependent episodic memory, despite not causing obesity or metabolic dysfunction. This research emphasizes the critical role that diet plays in brain health, particularly during early developmental stages, and points towards acetylcholine signaling in the hippocampus as a potential mediator of these long-lasting memory impairments. The findings have been published in Brain, Beh…