How Nutrition Affects Memory

People pay most attention to their mental agility when they reach their elderly years. However, it would be wise for younger people to acknowledge how much their memories play a role in their daily functions. Accomplishing so many of the daily responsibilities on one's agenda would not be possible without proper functioning of the memory. Consider the following typical activities that rely on the memory: recalling one or more passwords needed to log into job computers, remembering the name of coworkers, remembering a script for a class or job presentation, and remembering where one parked in a crowded parking lot. It is a shame that so many younger people neglect and abuse their memories by skipping breakfast and going on fad diets that restrict important food groups or that drastically cut calories. According to a 2002 National Eating Trends Survey by the NPD Group, 25% of Americans skip breakfast. Such negative nutrition habits, take a toll on one's memory.

Frequently skipping meals is a dangerous decision in that one is depriving his or her body of essential vitamins and minerals that regulate the levels of neurotransmitters that are crucial for brain functions. An important neurotransmitter, acetycholine, aids memory and cognitive performances. A study by the University of Massachusetts discovered that acetycholine inhibitors weakened the subjects' performances on memory tests, while acetycholine stimulants strengthened their performances. The vitamin B component choline helps to formulate acetycholine and the cell membrane. Richard Wurtman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reveals that choline boosts short-term memory and abstract thinking. Also Vitamin B-1, known as thiamin, stimulates the memory by converting glucose into energy. It is found in grains, beans, and peas. A deficiency in both B-vitamins, thiamin and niacin, results in short-term memory loss, poor attention span, disorientation, irritability, and fatigue.

Another detrimental issue is the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets that leads to memory loss. According to a study conducted by the psychology professor Holly Taylor at Tufts University in Massachusetts, female participants between the ages of 22 to 55 who consumed carbohydrate-restricted meals noticed memory loss within one week. The underlying cause of this memory impairment was the lack of glucose, found in carbohydrate-rich food, that is needed to fuel the brain. This is proof that low-carb diets can cause one's memory to suffer.

Further, diets in which calories are drastically reduced will impair short-term memory. In a study in England conducted by the AFRC Institute of Food Research in Reading, non-dieters who took a mental aptitude test outperformed dieters who consumed 1,000 calories less.

From these studies one sees that a fast-paced lifestyle that omits breakfast and fad diets that restrict major food groups and necessary calories are not as glamorous as they appear with respect to one's memory. The memory is a tool that needs to be valued, and people must begin by aligning their nutrition-intake actions with their expectations for optimal mental health.

Sources

Grediagin, M.A. "The Nutrition and Stress Connection." www.hooah4health.com

"Low Carb Diets 'Can Cause Memory Loss'." www.telegraph.co.uk

Shoney's. "Alarming Number of Americans Skipping Breakfast Although Studies Link to

Performance." PRNewswire.