HHS HealthBeat (May 10, 2012)

Overeating, aging and memory loss

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study indicates overeating may eat into older peoples’ ability to remember. Researcher Yonas Geda of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, saw it in data on more than 1,200 people ages 70 and 89.

Dr. Geda says people who ate more than around 2,200 calories a day had more than twice the risk of mild cognitive impairment, a form of memory loss. But calories of around 1,600 to 2,200 did not show the risk.

So Dr. Geda says:

“Watching one’s diet has benefit for many things. In fact, one thing I heard is that what is good for your heart is good for your brains”

The study for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 10, 2012