Cutting calories 'boosts memory'

The volunteers had to limit their calorie intak

Reducing what you eat by nearly a third may improve memory, according to German researchers.

They introduced the diet to 50 elderly volunteers, then gave them a memory test three months later.

The study, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, found significant improvements.

However, a dietician said the reduction could harm health unless care was taken.

To our knowledge, the current results provide first experimental evidence in humans that caloric restriction improves memory in the elderly Munster University researchers

There is growing interest in the potential benefits of calorie restricted diets, after research in animals suggested they might be able to improve lifespan and delay the onset of age-related disease.

However, it is still not certain whether this would be the case in humans - and the the levels of "caloric restriction" involved are severe.

The precise mechanism which may deliver these benefits is Read more....