Food for thought. (Scientific update: a review of recent scientific papers related to vegetarianism).

Nutrition plays a role in how well our brains work. As we age, it is not uncommon to experience a decrease in memory. Can diet influence this loss? Apparently so. Canadian researchers studied 22 healthy elderly men and women. The subjects received either a drink containing pure protein, pure fat, or pure carbohydrate, or a drink with no protein, fat, or carbohydrate (and thus, no calories). They were tested 15 minutes and 60 minutes after drinking the beverages. Compared with the drink without protein, fat, or carbohydrate, the other drinks tended to improve performance on tests of memory. Apparently food, whether high in protein, fat, or carbohydrate, improves memory. These results may be important for older people who do not eat well. Perhaps in someone with mild memory impairment, adequate food intake can help to slow memory loss. It's something to think about.

Kaplan RJ, Greenwood CE, Winocur G, et al. 2001. Dietary protein, carbohydrate, and fat enhance memory performance in the healthy elderly. Am J Clin Nutr 74:687-693.