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Public release date: 19 May 2008
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Seniors with type 2 diabetes who eat unhealthy meals may experience memory declines immediately afterward
Adults with type 2 diabetes who eat unhealthy, high-fat meals may experience memory declines immediately
afterward, but this can be offset by taking antioxidant vitamins with the meal, according to new research
from Baycrest.
There is already growing evidence linking diabetes to cognitive complications in humans. Adults with type 2
diabetes are especially vulnerable to acute meal-induced memory deficits after eating unhealthy meals.
This latest study, led by Baycrest and published in the July issue of Nutrition Research, suggests that
taking high doses of antioxidant vitamins C and E with the meal may help minimize those memory slumps.
"Our bottom line is that consuming unhealthy meals for those with diabetes can temporarily further worsen
already underlying memory problems associated with the disease,"said lead author Michael Herman Chui, who
conducted the research as a University of Toronto pathobiology undergraduate in the Kunin-Lunenfeld
Applied Research Unit (KLARU) at Baycrest. "We've shown that antioxidant vitamins can minimize oxidative
stress from the meal and reduce those immediate memory deficits."
Type 2 diabetes is associated with chronic oxidative stress, a major contributor to cognitive declines
and Alzheimer disease. Consuming unhealthy foods can induce this type of stress which is triggered by
acute elevations of free radicals – unstable molecules that can damage tissue, including brain tissue.
These destructive molecule reactions typically occur over a one-to-three hour period after food ingestion.
Dr. Carol Greenwood, senior author of the study and a nationally recognized expert in how diet impacts
brain function, cautioned that relying on antioxidant vitamins at meal time is not a quick fix.
"While our study looked at the pill form of antioxidants, we would ultimately want individuals to
consume healthier foods high in antioxidants, like fruits and vegetables," said Dr. Greenwood, a
KLARU senior scientist at Baycrest.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, a low fat diet rich in antioxidants,
and staying mentally active and socially engaged in a variety of activities, is the best medicine for
optimizing cognitive health during the lifespan, she said.
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The study was funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Baycrest is an academic health sciences centre, internationally-renowned for its care of aging adults and its excellence in aging brain research, clinical treatments and promising cognitive rehabilitation strategies. Baycrest is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
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