Midnight cram sessions with your buddies just aren’t complete without the delivery of a large, greasy cheese pizza. Sadly, science just proved that the glorious pizza you’re downing might actually be taking your grades from one-hundred to zero… real quick.

This past month, researchers at Oregon State decided it would be important to see how our diets affect brain performance. And, of course, fatty and sugary foods failed the tests (ugh).

As it turns out, junk food like hamburgers, Starbursts and cupcakes cause your stomach bacteria to sabotage your brain cells. These stomach bacteria ruin your short and long term memory and your ability to think on your feet — some pretty important skills you’ll definitely need to ace your next final.

junk food

Gif courtesy of giphy.com

This definitely isn’t the first time we have heard about the horrors of sugar. Harvard proved that it increases our chances of developing heart disease. According to the Huffington Post, sugar also “hijacks the brain’s reward pathway,” which explains why the addiction is so real. Another issue? Most college students don’t even realize how much sugar is in their go-to snacks.

So if you really do care about your GPA, it’s time to ditch the late night pizza and soda. Or at least cut back on a slice or two. 

junk food

Gif courtesy of giphy.com