Shedding the Pounds: Study Reveals that Knocking off Excess Weight Could “Improve Memory” in Women

In a ground breaking new study into weightloss - Umea University in Sweden has discovered that losing weight is not just important for the body but can have a great impact on memory in older age too.

Researchers at the Swedish university studied 20 overweight and post-menopausal women who were assigned two different diets for a period of six months.

11 women stuck with Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, eating 15 percent protein, 55 percent carbs and 30 percent of fats while the rest worked with the Paleolithic diet, consuming 30 percent protein and carbs; and 40 percent unsaturated fats.

The scientists measured the women's body mass index, and also tested the subjects' episodic memory, which is their ability to recall information, by having the ladies memorise faces and names.

“Our findings suggest that obesity-associated impairments in memory function are reversible, adding incentive for weight loss,” said author Andreas Pettersson, a PhD student at Umea University.

Researchers found that the women's memory improved after weight loss. Brain scans also confirmed that women were even able to recall stories more clearly, with more detail.

"The altered brain activity after weight loss suggests that the brain becomes more active while storing new memories and therefore needs fewer brain resources to recollect stored information" said Pettersson.

The results were presented at The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

We've officially been inspired to hit the ground running and get back on our bikes!