Important part of memory is affected by inflammation.

Working memory which is the ability to keep goal-relevant information in mind is an important part of memory, especially if you are going to accomplish your goals.

This research investigated the reason for this type of memory loss in 11,546 obese people with an age range of 25-34 years (Yang Y, et al., 2020). This type of memory loss is common in people with increased body mass index (BMI).

The researchers found inflammation to play an important role in the relationship between obesity and working memory. Inflammation was in this case measured with C-reactive protein (CRP) a common inflammatory marker.

Inflammation can have many causes. The fat carried around the waist has been found to be metabolically active and produce inflammation.

The food we eat can contribute to inflammation and that is one of the things we have control over.

High nutrient, low glycemic index food can be an effective tool in reducing inflammation. Just avoiding processed food can help.

Curcumin manufactured to be better absorbed, hops, Boswellia and ginger can also help to reduce inflammation (Panahi Y, et al., Gao X, et.al., 2009, Grzanna R, et al., 2005, Abdel-Tawab M, et al., 2011).

References:

Abdel-Tawab M1, Werz O, Schubert-Zsilavecz M. Boswellia serrata: an overall assessment of in vitro, preclinical, pharmacokinetic and clinical data. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2011 Jun;50(6):349-69.

Gao X1, Deeb D, Liu Y, Gautam S, Dulchavsky SA, Gautam SC. Immunomodulatory activity of xanthohumol: inhibition of T cell proliferation, cell-mediated cytotoxicity and Th1 cytokine production through suppression of NF-kappaB. ImmunopharmacolImmunotoxicol. 2009;31(3):477-84.

Grzanna R1, Lindmark L, Frondoza CG. Ginger–an herbal medicinal product with broad anti-inflammatory actions. J Med Food. 2005 Summer;8(2):125-32.

Panahi Y, Hosseini MS, Khalili N, Naimi E, Simental-MendíaLE, Majeed M, Sahebkar A. Effects of curcumin on serum cytokine concentrations in subjects with metabolic syndrome: A post-hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Biomed Pharmacother. 2016 Aug;82:578-82.

Yingkai Yang, Grant S Shields, Qian Wu, Yanling Liu, Hong Chen 4, Cheng Guo, The association between obesity and lower working memory is mediated by inflammation: Findings from a nationally representative dataset of U.S. adults, Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Feb;84:173-179.