Eat Less, Remember More

　　You may have noticed that as you get older, you start forgetting more stuff: like, where you left your glasses, or the names of your children. Well, if you’re fed up with those senior moments, put down that pastrami sandwich. Because a new study, published in the January 27th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that cutting calories actually improves memory in older folks.

　　Calorie restriction lets lab animals live longer. And these hungry critters tend to be healthier, too: with lower cholesterol, better insulin sensitivity, and even slower cognitive decline. But these diets can be draconian. And it hasn’t been clear whether they’d offer the same benefits to people.

　　In this study, scientists asked 50 elderly women to cut the number of calories they consumed by a third. After three months, the researchers found that the dieters were not only slimmer, but they were better than they had been at memorizing lists of words. They also had better insulin levels and fewer markers of inflammation, which suggests that keeping those things under control may help keep the brain fit. It’s one of the cruel ironies of aging: if you want to remember your favorite restaurants, the less you should eat at them.

　　你可能注意到随着你年龄的增大，你开始忘记更多的东西：比如，你忘记了你把眼镜放哪儿了，或者忘记了你的孩子们的姓名。如果你觉得你受够了这些老年问题，那么就放下五香熏牛肉吧。因为发表在1月 27日的《美国国家科学院院刊》（Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences）上的一项新研究表明，减少食物热量的摄入实际上能提高老年朋友的记忆力。

　　卡路里的限量摄入使得实验中的动物活得更久。而且这些饥饿的小动物也更加健康：它们的胆固醇含量降低、它们具有更好的胰岛素感受力、还有它们的认知能力下降也减慢了。但是这些节食方案可能比较苛刻，而且目前还不清楚这些节食方案是否也会给人带来同样的好处。

　　在该研究中，科学家们让50名年长的妇女把她们所摄入的卡路里减少三分之一。三个月后，这些研究者们发现，这些节食者们不仅变得更加苗条，而且她们比以前更容易记住单词。科学家们还发现她们的胰岛素水平更好了，她们发炎的症状也少了，这意味上述这些因素的控制可能有利于大脑保持健康。变老的一个无情的讽刺就是：如果你想记住你最喜欢的饭馆，那么你最好还是少上那里去吃饭。

　　Vocabulary:

　　Pastrami: 五香熏牛肉
　　Calorie: 卡路里（热量单位）
　　Critter: 动物
　　Cholesterol: 胆固醇
　　Insulin: 胰岛素
　　Cognitive: 认知的
　　Decline: 下降
　　Draconian: 严格的
　　Benefit: 好处；利益
　　Inflammation: 发炎
　　Irony: 讽刺