With the growing rates of dementia and memory loss worldwide, researchers have been focused on finding the causes of memory impairments. According to helpquide.org 26 million people across the globe have dementia, and a staggering 15 million Americans will be diagnosed by 2050. Currently there is no cure for most types of dementia, although certain behaviors and medications can help delay the onset. Recent findings have suggested that reducing your sugar intake can have impressive results on your brain’s ability to recall information.
According to the study headed by Agnes Flöel, MD, of Charité University Medicine in Berlin, Germany, elderly people who had lower blood sugar levels scored better on memory tests. The study included 141 adults with an average age of 63 who did not have diabetes or pre-diabetes. In the study, patients were given 15 words and asked to recall them 30 minutes later. In patients who had lower blood sugar levels, memory recall was significantly higher than their peers with high blood sugar.
Researchers concluded that even people who had normal blood sugars levels benefited from better memory when they consumed fewer sugars and simple carbohydrates. In 2012, another study done by National Health and Medical Research Council Australia and the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund supported this finding. Their research found that people with higher fasting blood sugar levels were more likely to experience loss of brain volume in the hippocampus and amygdala; areas both essential for cognitive skills and memory.
How Can You Lower Blood Sugar Levels?
Our Newport Beach brain surgery center is dedicated giving our patients the most up-to date information regarding maintaining brain health. To learn more about services offered by Newport Beach neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duma, contact us online, or call us at 949-642-6787.
