Aside from the more widely known risks of running high blood sugars, researchers at the University of California San Francisco report that elevated blood sugars may be linked to a risk of dementia and memory loss in older adults.

The belief is that chronically elevated blood sugar may directly damage brain neurons or eventually cause health conditions that indirectly impair cognition. Being a fairly new discovery, there is little information available on how to prevent high blood sugars from affecting cognitive abilities, save for methods of keeping blood sugar levels low in the first place.

When in doubt over whether or not a food is high in simple sugars, a good resource is the Glycemic Index. To reference this, just head over to: www.glycemicindex.com, where you'll be able to input various foods and, in return, be given its place on the glycemic index (the higher the number, the higher the amount of fast-dissolving sugars).

For easy reference, just remember that most starchy foods -- sugary snacks, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. -- will spike your blood sugar levels, whereas slower digesting, non-starchy/low-carb foods such as vegetables, lean meat, and dairy should keep everything in check. It can all sometimes be a little overwhelming, but with some advanced planning, eating healthier is possible. The key, especially given this new information, is to not lose your mind over it.