Thinking of having another chocolate bar tonight, lying on the couch and skipping the gym? Well, you should think again according to a recent study published in December’s issue of the Annals of Neurology.

The main findings from a team at Columbia University were that high blood sugar levels in the normal aging population are associated with a reduction in cognitive function. It has been known for some time that people with diabetes, where period of high blood sugar levels are the norm, have a higher risk of developing various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, the current study suggests its not just diabetics who should worry about their sugar levels.

Using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the researchers studied the region of the brain known as the dentate gyrus. The dentate gyrus, for those of you not intimately familiar with the structure of the brain, is located in the hippocampus and is involved in neurogenesis (in simple terms the birth of neurons). Previous studies have implicated this region of the brain in normal age-related memory decline. Studying both human subjects with and without diabetes, they discovered that in this region of the brain, reduced activity correlated with higher blood sugar levels. The same pattern was also seen in mice and rhesus monkeys.

So, what’s the magic pill the authors suggest to counter the effects of sugar levels on age-related mental decline? For most people, the answer is simply taking regular exercise and eating the right diet. Therefore, the message here, forget those cravings for sweet delights if you want to hang onto your sweet memories.