Fewer Calories, Better Memory?
Study Shows Restricted-Calorie Diet May Boost Memory in Older Adults
By
Kelli Miller Stacy
WebMD Health News
Reviewed By
Louise Chang, MD
Latest Senior Health News
Jan. 26, 2008 -- Cutting calories may help older adults better remember
items on a grocery list or the name of someone they just met, a study
shows.
Researchers reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences found that older men and women who follow a restricted-calorie diet score better on verbal
memory tests than those who do not make such diet changes.
Earlier animal studies have shown that low-calorie diets
and those rich in "healthy" fats (called unsaturated fatty acids) may
protect the aging brain.
Veronica Witte and colleagues at the University of Muenster in Germany say
their results are the first to show that calorie restriction improves memory in
older humans, too.
The three-month study involved 50 overweight men and women, with an average age of 60.5
years old. The men and women were separated into three groups:
- Group 1 reduced their calorie intake by up to 30%
- Group 2 changed their diet so it included more unsaturated fatty acids,
such as olive oil and certain types of fish.
- Group 3 did not change their diet, and was considered the "control"
group.
Clinical dieticians provided diet instructions. One person from the
restricted-calorie group dropped out of the study.
After three months, those who cut calories had a significant increase in
verbal memory scores, which included the ability to recall certain words on a
list after several minutes had passed.
Those in groups 2 and 3 -- who did not cut calories -- did not show any
significant memory improvements.
Blood tests performed on all study participants revealed lower insulin
levels and markers of inflammation among the restricted-calorie group. Those
who best followed the diet had the most pronounced changes in insulin and
inflammation marker levels.
Study researchers think that improved insulin sensitivity and reduced
inflammatory activity may play a role in improving memory, a theory they say
requires further study, but could one day lead to a new realm of cognitive
interventions.
"The present findings may help to develop new prevention and treatment
strategies for maintaining cognitive health into old age," the researchers
write.
SOURCES: News release, National Academy of Sciences.
Witte, V. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jan. 29, 2009; vol 106: pp 1255-1260.
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