(21-05-12) High calorie intake linked to mild memory loss in elderly

By Nanci Hellmich,
Here's another reason not to overeat: It may increase your risk of memory
loss.

Older people who consumed more than 2,143 calories a day had more than double
the risk of a type of memory loss called mild cognitive impairment compared to
those who ate fewer than 1,500 calories a day, according to a study being
released Sunday by the American Academy of Neurology on its website (aan.com).
The more calories older people consumed, the more likely they were to have
mild cognitive impairment, says Yonas Geda, lead author of the study and a
neuropsychiatrist at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Other investigators from Australia have shown that excessive calorie intake is
associated with a greater risk of mild cognitive impairment, he says.
MCI is the condition between normal forgetfulness due to aging and early
Alzheimer's disease. People with MCI have problems with memory, language or
thinking severe enough to be noticeable to other people and to show up on
tests, but not serious enough to interfere with daily life, according to the
Alzheimer's Association. People are often aware of the forgetfulness.
Because the problems do not interfere with daily activities, the person does
not meet criteria for being diagnosed with dementia. Not everyone diagnosed
with MCI goes on to develop Alzheimer's, the association says.
Geda and colleagues followed 1,233 people ages 70 to 90 in Olmsted County,
Minn. The participants did not have dementia, but 163 had mild cognitive
impairment. Researchers calculated their daily calorie intake based on food
questionnaires. The researchers then divided the participants into three equal
groups. The first group consumed 600 to 1,526 calories daily; a second between
1,526 calories and 2,142 calories and a third, more than 2,143.
The researchers did not control for diet quality in this analysis, but are
looking at diet and exercise for future analysis.
Bottom line: The odds of having MCI more than doubled in the highest calorie
group compared to the lowest calorie group, Geda says.
This is one study so "we have to be extremely careful about generalizations,"
he says. "The first step is that we have to confirm this finding in a bigger
study. Certainly, we are not recommending starvation or malnutrition."
Neurologist Neelum Aggarwal, a member of the American Academy of Neurology,
says these findings should encourage physicians and health care providers to
start the discussion about the links between common healthy living practices,
including eating a healthy diet, limiting sugar, to overall cognitive function,
with their patients.

Source: usatoday.com

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