Increasing Blood Sugar Levels Improves Memory and Performance in Older Adults

A new study from the University of Warwick suggests higher blood sugar improves memory in older adults and motivates them more to perform difficult tasks to their fullest ability, states News-Medical . The team gave young and older participants a beverage with a small amount of glucose and had them perform various memory tasks. Other participants received a placebo. The researchers determined elevating energy via the glucose drink did not improve the younger participants' mood or memory performance. However, older adults exhibited significantly better memory and more positive mood compared to older counterparts who consumed the placebo. Furthermore, although objective metrics of task engagement revealed that older adults consuming the glucose made greater efforts to complete the task than those who had the placebo, their own self-reports indicated they did not feel as if they had tried any harder.