Item #4
Sugar
Key to Memory Problems
Helps
to explain why memory loss occurs as we age.
People
with an inability to quickly bring down high blood sugar levels--a
pre-diabetic condition--are more likely to suffer from memory loss.
For
every Alzheimer's patient, there are eight elderly people who do not
have dementia but whose quality of life is harmed by memory loss.
Blood
sugar has been thought to play a role, as diabetics have a greater
risk of memory problems, possibly because diabetes harms blood vessels
that supply the brain and other organs.
The
study of 30 non-diabetic middle-aged and elderly people raises the
possibility that exercise and weight loss, which help control blood
sugar levels, may be able to reverse some of the memory loss that is
associated with aging.
Various
factors were measured in the study including how participants
performed on several memory tests, how quickly they metabolized blood
sugar after a meal, and, through the use of MRI scans, the size of the
hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning and recent
memory.
Results
indicated that people who metabolized blood sugar slowly had a smaller
hippocampus and scored worse on tests for recent memory.
The
brain gets most of its energy from blood sugar, so if glucose stays in
the bloodstream rather than being metabolized into body tissues, the
brain has less fuel available to store memories.
The
study is the first to show an association between the size of the
hippocampus and the ability to control blood sugar levels in the body.
Though further research is needed, this association suggests that
delivery of glucose may influence hippocampal structure and function,
researchers said.
Further,
if confirmed the results indicate that controlling blood sugar levels
through exercising and eating a healthy diet may help to protect the
brain from memory loss associated with aging.
Science
Blog Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences February
5, 2003
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DID
YOU KNOW
In the current issue of the Journal of the American College of
Cardiology, German researchers say wines from their country probably
aren't as good at reducing the risk of heart disease as French wines
are. "French wines are richer in flavonoids, polyphenols and
phytoalexins than are German wines tested in this study,"
explains lead author Dr. Ulrich Forstermann, head of pharmacology at
Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.
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