Fewer Calories - Better Memory

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

A low-calorie diet can not only correct figure flaws, but also improve memory. This is the conclusion reached by German scientists. At the same time, experts warn that dieting for people who are not overweight is fraught with negative consequences.

German scientists have concluded that cutting calories by about a third significantly improves memory in older people.

Researchers at the University of Münster decided to study the effects of a low-calorie diet on human memory following the success of similar experiments in rats. The study involved 50 elderly volunteers, whose average age was 60.5 years.

Nutritional experts have warned that caution should be exercised when reducing the energy value of food, especially in non-overweight seniors. Otherwise, fasting is more likely to harm the body than improve memory.

They were divided into three groups: the first, during the experiment, received a diet with a calorie content 30 percent less than normal, the second - a diet with a normal calorie content and a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, and the third - control - regular food of normal calorie content.

All volunteers underwent standard verbal memory tests before the study began and after three months of these diets. It turned out that those who consumed low-calorie foods improved their test scores by an average of 20 percent. In the other two groups, no changes were observed. The mechanism behind this action of a reduced calorie diet remains unclear.

Scientists note that previous experiments with rats, which also had calorie restriction and increased unsaturated fatty acids, showed that this improved memory.