Research reveals that weight loss and a healthy lifestyle improve memory
By Alex Chen
April 21, 2011 1:01 a.m.
Psychologists from Kent State University and other institutions around the U.S. have discovered a link between drastic weight loss from surgery and improved memory and concentration in patients.
These recent studies contribute to a growing field of research that psychologists at UCLA have been studying for some time ““ the link between physical health and mental health.
The study, which will be published in the Journal of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, was conducted by researchers from across the country and headed by John Gunstad, an associate professor of psychology at Kent State University.
The research studied patients of weight loss, or bariatric, surgery at New York and North Dakota hospitals and found that after 12 weeks, patients demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive testing.
“What’s quite interesting and dramatic about (Gunstad’s) study is how quickly the subjects have gained improvements in their cognitive performance,” said Dr. Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and the director of the UCLA Memory and Aging Research Center.
Small, who was not involved with the study, has experience in the subject matter and performed research that looked at the effects of a healthy lifestyle on cognitive function.
In 1996, Small and a group of UCLA researchers published a study that observed the effects of a 14-day healthy lifestyle program on cognition and brain function.
The study involved memory exercises, stress reduction techniques, physical exercise and a healthy diet and found that such lifestyle choices had significant effects on brain health.
Even after a two-week period many subjects lost weight and demonstrated significant improvements in memory performance, Small said.
Through physical exercise and a diet that included fresh fruits and vegetables, omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, whole grains instead of processed foods and smaller meals throughout the day, participants not only increased their physical health, but also their cognitive health.
Another article, published by Small and UCLA psychiatrist David Merrill, went further into showing this link between physical and mental health.
Published in the journal “Psychiatric Clinics of North America,” the study looked at people who are genetically at risk for Alzheimer’s disease to determine the effects of lifestyle choices on cognitive functions, said Merrill, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences.
“(Their research found that) what you do matters ““ staying active, eating a balanced healthy diet is going to help in aging with grace; being inactive and overindulging can lead to more health problems later on,” Small said.
As more information linking physical health to mental health continues to arise, UCLA psychiatrists such as Small and Merrill are teaming up with the UCLA community for further study into this link.
Working with UCLA nutritionists, Small and Merrill have already begun to plan for studies on the impact of certain foods such as pomegranate extract and curcumin, which is found in Indian curry, on brain health and memory.
In addition, the psychiatrists have discussed a potential program with UCLA Recreation that would allow researchers to observe participants in recreational classes and to study the effects that exercise has on student mental health.
