Oh, come on. Really?! As if we didn't already know enough bad stuff about sugar and how it can make us everything from overweight to diabetic to toothless, apparently sugar can also make us stupid. Seriously? Life is so stinkin' unfair.

Researchers found that rats who were fed a high-fructose diet had a harder time finding their way out of a complex maze. Great. So does this mean those of us with a yen for Yodels need better GPS systems than potato chip people? Because frankly that makes me a little depressed. (Which only makes me crave cookies even more.)

Thankfully, there is an antidote of sorts for sugar-induced dimwittedness ...

Where the hell has 2012 gone? Seriously. It feels like it was New Year's Eve just yesterday. Now, I have exactly 8 days until Memorial Day weekend kicks off, and I'm in panic mode. No, not because I don't have solid plans. The plans, they're great. Mostly because they involve being beach side with a few tasty drinks. Oh, well hello bathing suit season. 

Sigh. It's like that nagging third cousin you just can't get rid of. Are you also worried about looking your best in a suit this Memorial Day? Take comfort knowing you're not alone. While I can't promise you a six-pack (heck, I don't even think Jillian Michaels could work that sorta magic in one week), I can help you shed a few pounds just in time for the kickstart of summer.

Read on for 4 ways to shed extra pounds before Memorial Day weekend:

Well, y'all, it's official! Simon Cowell has tapped Britney Spears as an X-Factor judge (in addition to youngin' Demi Lovato) in hopes of saving his floundering show. And while all sounds well and good between Camps Cowell and Spears, it seems like Simon didn't beat around the bush during negotiations. A source tells Perez Hilton that the producer "laid down the law -- he's paying for 'superstar Britney,' not the 'trailer-trash' version she's occasionally become known as." Ouch! 

But reportedly, Brit's team ensured Simon that he'll get what he's "paying for" (ew), and promised him that "she will be transformed. She'll be glammed up, slimmed down, and totally focused on the show." (By the way, doesn't it always sound like she's still being treated like a puppet after all these years? Sigh. Poor Brit. Anyway ...)

Vegans aren't so crazy. They're probably the healthiest people on the planet actually, as there's plenty of research to support that animal products -- especially dairy -- aren't doing us many (if any) favors. Still, going 100 percent vegan isn't for everyone. Unfortunately, it sounds like Glee diva Lea Michele begs to differ. Or, at least, she reportedly hopes that boyfriend Cory Monteith will give up meat and dairy for her.

The rationale, according to an insider: "When Lea has kids, she wants them to be vegan -- and she wants Cory on board." Eeek! Danger, danger. Kinda putting the cart before the horse now, isn't she? Maybe, just a little?

It probably wouldn't surprise anyone to hear about an experiment that proves eating yogurt makes you slimmer. But how about yogurt making you sexier? Yup. Science just proved that.

Or anyway, they proved yogurt makes mice sexier. There's a phrase you probably didn't think you'd read today: Sexy mice. SEXY MICE! So nice I had to write it twice. So how exactly does yogurt make mice sexy? And will this sexy yogurt trick work on us humans, too? I'm dying to find out.

So I don't know about you, but I'm thinking of going on an all-berry diet. Okay, not really.

But man!

It seems like every other day strawberries and/or blueberries and/or blackberries are in the news because some expert-type people discovered yet another antioxidant-related magical power.

Today in miraculous berry power news: Apparently eating blueberries and strawberries can the prevent the "cognitive decline and memory loss that comes with aging."

Well, these are truly happy tidings, my friends. Because I am sooo sick of losing my keys. And I'm still in my 30's! I better start pounding the berries asap or I'm not going to remember my own name by the time I'm 50.

Full disclosure: I hate my teeth. Always have, probably always will. They're just not white enough and never have been -- even when I was a kid and my "grown-up" teeth were brand new (apparently this has something to do with too many antibiotics for multiple bouts of tonsillitis).

I've tried just about whitening treatment on the market but none of them have done the trick (unless by "trick" you're referring to the magic enamel-destroying powers of those dentist-approved bleaching trays. Root canals are awesome!).

Anyway, as you can probably tell, I'm pretty skeptical about anything that claims to have smile-brightening properties at this point. So when I heard that some foods are actually capable of making teeth whiter, I was like, "Says who? The tooth fairy?" TGTBT.

BUT there's a surprising amount of research out there suggesting that certain foods really are dental dazzlers.

Remember that episode of Seinfeld about the "skinny mirror" in Elaine's department store dressing room? Essentially, Elaine buys a dress that looks "stunning" when she tries it on at the store -- but her mirror at home tells a very, very different story. ("This is false reflecting!")

It was hilarious because every woman can relate to that feeling, on some level -- not necessarily the feeling of being duped by trick mirrors, but of looking at our reflection and thinking, "What?! I don't look like THAT!"

According to a recent study, the tendency to underestimate our body size is at least partly biological, particularly if you're overweight. Check this out:

Researchers found that "58 percent of overweight people incorrectly described themselves as normal weight. Among the obese, 75 percent placed themselves in the overweight category, and only 10 percent accurately described their body size."

Denial? Wishful thinking? Turns out there's more to it than that ...