Thirty percent less calories = thirty percent better memory

Brain Aging, Calorie restriction, Memory — 6:33 am
Thirty percent less calories equals thirty percent better memory
Calorie restriction benefits for the aging brain health have been proposed and the mechanisms were suggested but a direct evidence showing that it can improve memory function in elderly humans appeared only recently. The study conducted in Munster, Germany, showed that a three months calorie intake reduction by 30% compared with habitual diet or a Mediterranean style diet rich in unsaturated fatty acids (although known to positively influence memory) resulted in a highly significant, 30% improvement in memory scores of 60 something group of relatively healthy people.
A. Witte et al., 2009. Caloric restriction improves memory in elderly humans. PNAS, vol. 106  no. 4  1255–126

Calorie restriction benefits for the aging brain health have been proposed and the mechanisms were suggested but a direct evidence showing that it can improve memory function in elderly humans appeared only recently. The study conducted in Munster, Germany, showed that a three months calorie intake reduction by 30% compared with habitual diet or a Mediterranean style diet rich in unsaturated fatty acids (although known to positively influence memory) resulted in a highly significant, 30% improvement in memory scores of 60 something group of relatively healthy people.

A. Witte et al., 2009. Caloric restriction improves memory in elderly humans. PNAS, vol. 106  no. 4  1255–126

Cutting down on sugar and adding fat to prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's, Carbohydrates, Fats — 6:46 am

According to this review, a simple dietary change towards lower carbohydrate intake and higher fats intake, may be efficiently protective against AD. >> read the article

Breakfast, protein, and hunger at lunch

Diet, Protein — 5:47 am
Veldhors and colleagues at Maastricht University, Netherlands, compared the effects of a high- (HP) and normal-protein (NP) breakfast on satiety and subsequent energy intake at lunch time. Casein was the only source of protein during breakfast to eliminate the influence of different amino acid composition. They reported that:
1. Taste perception, hedonic, and reward properties of the pretest brekfast did not differ for HP and NP.
2. Insulin and glucose was higher after NP in less than 1 hour. Satiety (3 and 4 hours after breakfast) and fullness (less than 1 hour) were higher after HP. Energy intake at lunch did not differ after HP versus NP.
The present study shows that a breakfast with 25% of energy from casein is rated as being more satiating than a breakfast with 10% of energy from casein at 3 and 4 h after breakfast, coinciding with prolonged elevated concentrations of plasma amino acids, but does not reduce subsequent energy intake.

Veldhors and colleagues at Maastricht University, Netherlands, compared the effects of a high- (HP) and normal-protein (NP) breakfast on satiety and subsequent energy intake at lunch time. Casein was the only source of protein during breakfast to eliminate the influence of different amino acid composition. They reported in British Journal of Nutrition (2009, 101, 295–303 ) that:

1. Taste perception, hedonic, and reward properties of the pretest brekfast did not differ for HP and NP.

2. Insulin and glucose was higher after NP in less than 1 hour.

3. Satiety (3 and 4 hours after breakfast) and fullness (less than 1 hour) were higher after HP.

4. Energy intake at lunch did not differ after HP versus NP.

“The present study shows that a breakfast with 25% of energy from casein is rated as being more satiating than a breakfast with 10% of energy from casein at 3 and 4 h after breakfast, coinciding with prolonged elevated concentrations of plasma amino acids, but does not reduce subsequent energy intake,” concluded the authors.

I calculated the ketogenic ratios of the pretest breakfasts. They both turned out to be below the ketogenic threshold, which is 1:2 according to the Wilder & Winter formula: 1:0.418 for NP and 1:0.565 for HP, which means that both breakfasts helped the carbohydrate but not fat metabolism. How the switch to the fat metabolism due to higher ketogenic ratios at breakfast influences metabolic and psychological parameters during the day, is a different story.

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