Basically, by increasing the amount of back-and-forth between two brain regions, green tea boosted the subjects' ability to remember information.

In the study, the scientists measured the behavioral and neuroelectric responses of 74 preadolescent children, half of them obese, half at a healthy weight.

The team placed rats on a diet high in sugar and fat and compared their performance with rodents on a healthy diet.

New research from Harvard Medical School found that subjects who drank two cups of hot cocoa a day had improved memory and blood flow to the brain.

Older women with higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids did not have any better memory or thinking skills after six years than women with lower levels, says research.

They found that the regimen resulted in a reduced risk of mental decline with age.

A total of of 96 children and adolescents were given caffeine or placebo and then put through memory tests, reaction time tests, and color-word tasks.

Adults who occasionally went hungry during childhood had a slower rate of decline in their cognitive abilities as they aged than those who always had enough to eat as children.

Baby formula that is supplemented with fatty acids in an attempt to mimic breast milk does not boost infants' brainpower any more than formula without extra fatty acids, according to a new review of several studies.

Eating blueberries and strawberries may stave off mental decline in later life, claim researchers.