The You Docs: Sugar doesn't make memories sweeter

There's a new bonus to good blood sugar control: better recall. It turns out that dysfunctional insulin -- a problem that allows blood sugar to get out of control -- not only is bad for your organs and arteries, but it also might keep you from remembering the name of your prom date, what month it is or who the latest "American Idol" winner is. One piece of evidence: Men who had low insulin levels at age 50 had a greater risk of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia later in life.

It's not clear yet how impaired insulin response bumps up Alzheimer's risk. But it is clear that the less insulin in the brain, the more it develops the hallmarks of that disease. In fact, researchers at Brown University refer to this low brain insulin problem and the brain changes it's associated with as "type 3 diabetes."

Although researchers haven't yet shown how to prevent type 3 diabetes, it's smart to do what you can to control your blood sugar.

New research found that whereas a low glycemic index (GI) diet is good at improving blood sugar control, a low-carb diet (less than 20 grams of carbs per day) is even better.

Ninety-five percent of diabetics on the low-carb diet were able to reduce or eliminate their meds, whereas 62 percent of those on the low-GI diet did. Both lost weight, which is also key: Obesity is linked to Alzheimer's risk, too.