cookiesDid we really need another reason to feel bad about eating too many calories? Regardless, we just got one. A new study has found a link between high calorie diets and memory loss. In fact, according to information just presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, people in their 70s and 80s who took in a lot of calories had twice the risk of mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to dementia.

So yeah, it's probably yet another inducement to cut a few calories out of our daily diets, but it's worth noting that the cause-and-effect relationship is not that clear. Did the calories lead to the memory loss? Or was it, rather, that the people in the study ate more because they had forgotten that they'd already eaten? (I'm actually serious, though it's also true that I keep forgetting that it's not cool to joke about memory loss.)

In any case, it's definitely a good idea -- for many reasons I can't remember right now -- not to overdo it on the calories. Though in this case there may be a silver lining, in that you might forget that you (and your heaping plate) are responsible for all those other health problems. And you also might forget that you ever fit into those skinny jeans in the first place!

On the other hand, it does seem a little like adding insult to injury: You're obese -- and you're forgetful, too! It reminds me of that old joke where the guy goes to the doctor and the doctor tells him he has cancer. When the guy demands a second opinion, the doctor says, "You're ugly, too!"

I know, I love that joke, too. And I'm honestly relieved I still remember it, given the size of the lunch I just scarfed down!

What do you think of the study linking memory loss with caloric intake?

 

Image via Bishma/Flickr