What we put in our bodies plays a major role in our health, especially our brain health. Eating an unhealthy diet that consists of high amounts of saturated fats and sugars can eventually lead to serious health problems, including the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

A new study conducted by Suzanne Craft, a professor of medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., suggest that a diet in which people consume a high amount of fat can lead to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. During the study, researchers found that participants who ate a diet that was high in saturated fat and foods that had a high glycemic index had high levels of a protein called amyloid-beta that was found in their cerebral spinal fluid, while those who ate a diet that was low in fat had a decrease in amyloid-beta in their spinal fluid. The amyloid-beta protein is one of the main contributing factors in the development of Alzheimer’s.

Previous studies have shown evidence that a poor diet, obesity, and diabetes are all factors that play into an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Although this study was small, the results add onto the pile of evidence explaining the importance of a balanced diet. The types of food we put into our body may not hurt us right away, but they will have a long-term effect on our health in the end.