By Gregory Kellett, a cognitive neuroscience researcher at SFSU and science writer for Lumos Labs .
Data collected by Agnes Flöel and her crew at the University of Munster in Germany seems to give yet another reason to resist that second helping of chocolate cake.
The research compared short-term memory performance of overweight individuals who reduced their caloric intake by 30% over 3 months with individuals who maintained their regular diet over the same 3 months.
Results:
- After 3 months, those on the decreased calorie diet improved by 20% on short-term memory tests of word recall.
- Participants who did not change their caloric intake showed no improvements.
The study coincides with multiple other studies demonstrating improved brain plasticity in animals fed calorie restricted diets. Some possible mechanisms at work include:
- The modified action of neurotransmitters
- The stimulation of neurogenesis (production of neurons)
- Increases in cell metabolism
However, in the above study, there may be other factors at work. As all the participants were overweight to begin with, the improvements could simply be due to an increase in overall health (IE blood flow, increased oxygen etc). Studies “starving” healthy individuals seem to be called for in order to eliminate this possibility.
References:
Caloric restriction improves memory in elderly humans. (2009, January 26). . Retrieved January 27, 2009, from http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/01/26/0808587106.
Fontán-Lozano, A., Sáez-Cassanelli, J. L., Inda, M. C., de los Santos-Arteaga, M., Sierra-Domínguez, S. A., López-Lluch, G., et al. (2007). Caloric restriction increases learning consolidation and facilitates synaptic plasticity through mechanisms dependent on NR2B subunits of the NMDA receptor. The Journal of Neuroscience: The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 27(38), 10185-95. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2757-07.2007.
Stranahan, A., & Mattson, M. (2008). Impact of Energy Intake and Expenditure on Neuronal Plasticity. Neuromolecular Medicine.
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