Low-carb Diet, Memory Loss?

“A U.S. psychologist says a low carbohydrate diet can reduce memory skills.” www.UPI.com

In a study by Holly A. Taylor of Tufts University, she reported that one week after starting a weight loss diet that severely restricted carbohydrates, participants in the Tufts University study performed significantly worse on memory tests than participants who followed a low calorie, high-carbohydrate diet. Their study on women aged 22 to 55 showed that those on a low carbohydrate meals suffered impaired memory function after just one week.

W-T-Heck? This is exactly what I said when I heard a low-carb diet could reduce memory skills. Seeing that I’ve adopted a low-carb lifestyle since I was diagnosed with diabetes this little bit of information was not welcomed news. Although, I do occasionally forget where I placed my wallet and sometimes I get up from my desk and momentarily forget where I was headed, I was chalking this temporary lapsed in memory to aging. So I nervously beginning searching the Internet looking for answers.

Finally, I found a response from Dr. Jonny Bowden, “Low-carb diets cause memory loss? Not so fast!” In a nutshell, he reported the following:
1. The low-carbers performed better than the other group in tests that measured attention and the ability to stay on task.
2. The low-carbers quickly improved on the tests by the second week.
3. This should have been expected because there’s a short period of adaptation when the brain and body switches over to ketones as a fuel source (instead of carbohydrates). The adaptation period is natural and mental and physical performance returns as soon as the adaptation period is over.

Whew!! That was a close call. I thought I had to make a decision between my foot and my memory!!

The take away from this post is to remember that the Internet is a wealth of information to the point of TMI (Too Much Information). Therefore, as you manage control of your health care, rationalize information against your own judgement, paradigm and your team members.

Now if someone could just tell me where I put my car keys…….

Click here to read entire UPI article.
Click here to read Dr. Jonny Bowden response.