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MEMORY FOOD [AJCN 2001: 74: 567-8 (2001)]

"...this issue...showed that protein, fat, and carbohydrate can acutely enhance memory processing in older people." Glucose [sugar] has the ability to effect memory. Increasing sugar concentrations in people with Alzheimer's improves their memory. This improvement seems to depend on the increase in insulin concentrations caused by elevated glucose. In particular, POOR GLUOSE CONTROL IN DIABETICS HAS A HARMFUL EFFECT ON THINKING. In other words, be very careful about eating food that raises your glucose level, because that will contribute to diabetes, which will damage your brain. Cutting down on how often your blood sugar rises is the key step. Most snacks and soda will raise blood sugar, causing you to pump out insulin, wearing out insulin receptors.

"The eventual development of dementia was positively associated with intakes of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol." But fish consumption, with DHEA and EPA, was associated with a reduced risk for dementia. More evidence for eating fish or taking fish oil!

"The most likely explanation for the chronic modulation of memory is that fat ingestion alters neuronal mobility by altering the ratio of fatty acids in neuronal cell membranes... This leads to altered effectiveness of neurotransmitters..." which affects cognitive function. "Older people often have poor dietary intake, which makes them particularly vulnerable to the effects of nutrition on cognition."

Note July 2004 - Curry may prevent Alzheimer's.

Student Poster - Memory foods - Chewing gum helps students learn more effectively.