Well this is scary: A high carb diet may increase your risk of dementia later in life. Even small increases in blood sugar can be bad for your brain's health, says Dr. David Perlmutter, M.D. Perlmutter is the author of the book Grain Brain, as well as the recently appointed editor of the new journal Brain and Gut (great title, eh), and has researched the effect of carbs on the brain extensively.

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"We live with this notion that a calorie is a calorie, but at least in terms of brain health, and I believe for the rest of the body as well, there are very big differences between our sources of calories in terms of the impact on our health," he said. "Carbohydrate calories, which elevate blood glucose, are dramatically more detrimental to human physiology, and specifically to human health, than are calories derived from healthful sources of fat."

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Recent studies have linked high carbohydrate diets to brain shrinkage, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and impaired cognition. Perlmutter believes that being careful with the amount and type of carbs you eat could help save your brain in the long run. [Medical News Today]