EAT LESS REMEMBER MORE

You may have noticed that as you get older you start forgetting more stuff, like where you left your glasses or the names of your children. Well, if you are ged up with these senior moments, put down that pastrami sandwich. Because a new study, published in the Jan 27th issue of the procceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows cutting calories actually improves memories in older folks.

Calorie restriction lets lab animals live longer. And these hungry critters tend to be healthier too; with lower cholesterol better insulin sensitivity and even slower cognitive decline. But these diets can be draconian. And it has not been clear whether they would offer the same benefits to people.

In this study, scientists asked 50 elderly women to cut the number of calories they can comsume by a third. After 3 months the researchers found that the dieters were not only slimmer but they were better than they had been at memorizing lists of words. They also had better insulin levels and fewer markets of inflammation, which suggersts that keeping these things under control may help keep the brain fit. It is one of the cuel ironies of aging: if you want to remember your favourite restaurants, the less you shold eat at them.

SOURCE: http://www.sciam.com/podcast/podcast.mp3?e_id=16A4E391-C9D2-052A-CD169D72088C5807