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Cutting
calories may boost your memory
Older adults who cut down on the amount of calories they consume get a
two-for-one special: weight loss and better memory.
Healthy women ranging in age from 50 to 80 who reduced their calorie intake by
30 percent for three months not only lost weight, but their scores on verbal
memory tests also shot up by 20 percent, according to a study conducted by Dr.
Agnes Floel and her colleagues from the University of Munster in Germany, who
published the results in the January issue of the journal Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.
The study included 50 women, all of whom were either normal weight or slightly
overweight. (The average body mass index was 28, which is about 175 pounds for a
woman who is 5'6".) Twenty were assigned to the calorie-cutting group, 20
upped their intake of unsaturated fatty acids (which some studies suggest may
help aging brains), and the remaining 10 stuck with their normal diet.
Unlike the women who cut down on calories, the women who ate more unsaturated
fatty acids showed no improvement in their memories, nor did those in the
control group.
Why the improvement?
The researchers showed that women who cut calories became more sensitive to the
blood sugar-- regulating hormone insulin and had a drop in the
inflammation-associated molecule C-reactive protein. Both factors have been
linked to an improvement in brain function.
The findings add to growing evidence that calorie restriction can benefit health
and longevity, but this shouldn't prompt already skinny seniors to start
dieting, said Carol Greenwood, a senior scientist and assistant director of the
Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit at Baycrest, a Toronto academic medical
center focused on aging. Older people who lose too much weight increase their
risk of falls and fractures, said Greenwood, who studies diet and the brain but
was not involved in the current research.
And eating less isn't the only way to get this effect, Greenwood said. Exercise
appears to exert similar effects on brain function by boosting insulin
sensitivity and fighting inflammation.
Experts believe that, as Floel's study suggests, increased inflammation and a
drop in insulin sensitivity (which is known as insulin resistance) may help
explain why obesity and type 2 diabetes have been linked to worse mental
performance and a greater risk of Alzheimer's disease.
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