What foods affect your memory?

It takes several years before you see the results from the wrong food choices. That's why it's better to make changes to the way you eat before you notice symptoms of neurodegeneration like you see in Alzheimer's disease.

Less serious symptoms like forgetfulness called mild cognitive decline is something to pay attention to. Start to implement good eating habits avoiding foods that research has found to be contributing to neurodegeneration, and include foods that are beneficial for the nervous system and the brain if it is supported by scientific evidence. When somebody recommends a certain type of food, be sure there is evidence supporting the benefits of consuming this with a scientific reference, not a reference from the popular press. There is a lot of believes presented as evidence even by doctors, be a little bit skeptical and read what the references say and see if you agree.

A lot has been written about fat lately, and saturated fat is promoted by many as very healthy and something you should eat a lot of.

The following study evaluated 6,183 older participants and their intake of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans-unsaturated fatty acids (Okereke OI, et.al., 2012). The participants were tested using several cognitive tests, and their cognitive abilities were related to the type of fat they were consuming.

Higher saturated fat intake was associated with worse cognition. Higher monounsaturated fat was related to better cognition. Where do we find saturated fat? The major sources come from animal type fat like meat, cheese and other dairy products. What other types of food may help your memory? Vegetables, unsaturated fats, and a high score for the Mediterranean diet were found to reduce the odds ratio for mild cognitive decline (Roberts RO, et.al., 2010).

References

Okereke OI, Rosner BA, Kim DH, Kang JH, Cook NR, Manson JE, Buring JE, Willett WC, Grodstein F. Dietary fat types and 4-year cognitive change in community-dwelling older women. Ann Neurol. 2012 Jul;72(1):124-34.

Roberts RO, Geda YE, Cerhan JR, Knopman DS, Cha RH, Christianson TJ, Pankratz VS, Ivnik RJ, Boeve BF, O'Connor HM, Petersen RC. Vegetables, unsaturated fats, moderate alcohol intake, and mild cognitive impairment. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2010;29(5):413-23.

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