Feeding the Brain Boosts Memory
Excerpt By Amy Norton, Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For anyone in need of a memory boost, breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day, according to Canadian researchers.

Their study of healthy elderly men and women showed that taking in calories after an overnight fast--be they from carbohydrates, protein or fat--boosted the participants' performance on memory tests.

The fact that fat and protein enhanced short-term memory was a surprise, one of the study's authors told Reuters Health. Previous research has shown carbohydrates can fuel memory-based performance, and many investigators have reasoned that the jump in blood sugar (glucose) provided by carbohydrates explains the connection.

``This study is still saying glucose is part of it, but not the only part,'' Carol E. Greenwood, of the University of Toronto, said in an interview.

Instead, she explained, calorie intake after a period of fasting, regardless of the source, may be the key to a short burst in memory capacity.

That means having a doughnut at that morning meeting may help people remember what went on in the meeting, according to Greenwood.

But, she added, ``we wouldn't want you to have a doughnut all the time.''

That is in no small part due to the health effects of high-fat, nutritionally sparse diets, which contribute to major health problems like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

But it is also because carbohydrates in this study generally brought longer-term benefits to participants' memory than either fats or protein did, Greenwood noted. She said this supports dietary recommendations aimed at overall health, which suggest people get a majority of calories from carbohydrates. She emphasized that people should opt for nutritious carbohydrates--such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains--rather than simple sugars like those found in the morning-meeting doughnut.

In their study, Greenwood's team had 22 men and women aged 61 to 79 perform memory tests after ingesting one of four ''meals,'' given on separate mornings. Each morning, participants had a drink containing either pure carbohydrate, protein, fat or a non-calorie ``placebo.''

The investigators found that, compared with the placebo drink, carbs, protein and fat all boosted memory performance 15 minutes after ingestion. On tests taken later, the three nutrients had differing effects, with carbohydrates tending to have greater benefits one hour after ingestion--although fat still tended to improve attention one hour out.

The findings are published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The report should help spur research into the effects of nutrition on mental functioning in the elderly, according to an accompanying editorial.

``Although in most cases the effects of nutrition are small, when older people begin to develop mild cognitive impairment, nutrition may play a dramatic role in slowing down the process,'' writes John E. Morley of the St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri.

Greenwood noted that studies have shown the importance breakfast can have in children's school performance.

``This suggests that continues into the older adult years,'' she said.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001;74:567-568, 687-693.

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