Sugar Levels Affects Memory Function

Researchers have discovered that higher blood sugar levels can affect memory. The study paid for by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, the National Institute on Aging and the American Diabetes Association, found that certain blood sugar levels affected specific areas of the brain that were connected to memory. This was determined using brain imaging under high-resolution.

From Columbia University Medical Centre, Scott Small, MD the lead researcher of the study said, "We have known that exercise improves blood sugar and that it helps prevent age-related memory loss," but what was interesting in this study was that "We were able to show the specific area of the brain that is impacted by rising blood sugar."

Small further elaborated on the importance of proper blood sugar levels in his report, stating that "Beyond the obvious conclusion that preventing late-life disease would benefit the aging hippocampus, our findings suggest that maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of diabetes, could help maintain aspects of cognitive health."

The study specifically targeted the part of the brain connected with learning and memory, the hippocampus, and within that an area called the dentate gyrus that is directly influenced by symptoms of aging such as greater body weight and higher cholesterol.

In order to keep blood sugar levels to an optimum level, regular exercise was recommended. To clarify, Small said "We already know that physical exercise can help people stay cognitively sharp as they age."

The whole report was published in the journal Annals of Neurology, December issue.