Something fishy

Those who want to improve their memory may try eating food rich in flavanol like apples, berries, dark chocolate and red wine. 

Researchers at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan found in a lab experiment that when mice consumed the plant-based compounds that can increase cerebral blood flow, their brains released a surge of noradrenaline, a chemical linked to alertness and focus, Fox News reported. 

Within an hour, the animals performed about 30 percent better on a memory or object recognition test compared with untreated mice, based on the findings published in October in the journal Current Research in Food Science, according to Fox News. 

The researchers noted that it’s not the absorption but rather the taste of the flavanols that triggers the sensory nerves in a small region of the brain called the locus coeruleus, which releases noradrenaline and helps the brain retain new information, Fox News adds.

However, the researchers said the result only applies to mice, and another study is needed to determine if the same thing happens in humans. 

Meanwhile, a doctor in Boston, Massachusetts, USA has discovered a new slimming diet that obese people may try to lose weight. 

Metabolic health researcher and educator Nick Norwitz himself tried the diet for 30 days in October and he lost six pounds and got high omega-3 levels, according to Fox News.

While feeling “light” from the fasting-like diet, Norwitz retained strength and stamina that allowed him to do workouts to preserve his muscles by adding coconut, olive, or palm oil to the monotonous meal. 

There was only one downside from eating three tins of sardines per day for a month, he told Fox News. 

Norwitz counted the number of kisses he got from his girlfriend hours before and after a meal — it hit zero five days into the sardines diet. 

“You smell like you’re sweating fish,” he recalled his girlfriend telling him. 

Admittedly, despite showering, brushing his teeth, and spritzing on cologne, Norwitz said he began to smell “like a fish market” because of the sardines-only diet.