Forty percent of us will experience some form of memory loss by the time we turn 65. For many people, it’s just something that comes with old age, but there’s more to it than that. Lifestyle choices, medications, chemicals, and more can play havoc with our minds and our ability to create or access memories. There are probably far more things linked to memory loss than you ever realized.

10. Mountain Dew Has Been Linked to Memory Loss

Food additives are a touchy subject all over the world. There is no end of misinformation about what might be dangerous in what might not be. Much of it is fueled by a lack of understanding, strange conspiracies, laziness, and outright lies. Consider the case of MSG, which was demonized for years based on faulty research. The same thing, to some degree, has happened to Mountain Dew.

The famous soft drink has been banned in Europe and Japan because it contains brominated vegetable oil. Some reports claim that brominated vegetable oil is a flame retardant, a carcinogen, and a dozen other horrible things. 

In soda, brominated vegetable oil is an emulsifier that has been used since the 30s. It just holds Mountain Dew together so that the citrus won’t separate. But it has been recognized as potentially harmful in large amounts, and both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola claimed to be removing it back in 2014, which they didn’t do at the time but have done in the years since.

Though it’s not really a flame retardant any more than table salt is bleach because of the chloride in its name, it has been linked to memory loss in people drinking more than two liters of soda daily. 

9. Extensive Use of Benadryl is Linked to Dementia

If you suffer from chronic allergies and take Benadryl to manage it regularly, you might want to rethink your strategy. Extensive use of Benadryl has been linked to early dementia and other memory loss issues. Drugs like Benadryl block the action of a chemical called acetylcholine, which transmits messages through your nervous system. In your brain, it’s also linked to learning and memory. 

Though the link is not a proven one, just an observed one, these drugs have been shown to cause confusion and increase fall risks among older adults.

Specifically, diphenhydramine seems to put patients at risk for dementia. This is the antihistamine in Benedryl in most, but not all, countries where it is available. Taking these drugs for three years or more increases dementia risk by 54%.

8. Taking Photos Impaires Your Ability To Remember What You Photographed

It’s been estimated that 1.81 trillion photos are taken yearly. Anyone who’s been on social media in the last decade has seen just how popular selfies are. And with 15 billion cell phones and mobile devices worldwide, that’s nearly two for every living human. Almost all of us have access to a high-quality camera all the time. But that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Photos make our memories worse. Taking multiple pictures of the same thing doesn’t change this, either. Our memory of what we photograph is impaired the moment we take a picture. The irony of people taking photos to remember people, places, and events is worth noting. 

One theory for why this happens is that our brain essentially hands off the job of remembering the moment to the photograph. You understand what the photo will be, so your mind doesn’t need the memory; it has the picture. 

7. Sometimes Sex Can Cause Short-Term Amnesia

This one’s going to get a little personal, so buckle up. Sex has been linked to short-term amnesia but only in certain cases. For the effect to happen, you have to have good sex. As in the mind-blowing sort. Almost literally, as it happens. 

Known as transient global amnesia, it most often affects people in their 50s and 60s. Once it sets it, it can remove an entire 24 hours from your memory. Any strenuous physical activity could cause it, but sex seems to be a common one. 

The effect is short-term, lasting just a few hours. Though it only happens once for some patients, others have reported multiple instances. The man in one couple had had it happen five times in a span of nearly 20 years. 

6. Shift Work Leads to Major Health Issues Including Memory Loss

Someone once said if work were fun, they wouldn’t call it work. Most people would agree that work isn’t fun, so it’s not usually an issue. Worse than that, a lot of work can be detrimental to your health. There’s even evidence that shift work can lead to memory loss. That means you can hate your job and not even remember why. 

Shift work leads to lower levels of focus, alertness, impulse control, sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease, mood disorders, substance abuse, and much more. Sample sizes for determining this were not small, either. Eighteen studies of over 18,000 participants concluded shift workers were much worse with cognitive function and working memory. 

Half of the participants in the study were from the healthcare field, while the other half were made up of a mix of professions ranging from IT to law enforcement. Across the board, shift workers performed more poorly than those who stuck to traditional schedules. This is especially unsettling news when you factor in how many of them are healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, who may try to treat you one day while their brain is messed up from doing shift work. 

5. First-Person Shooters Lead to Hippocampus Damage and Memory Loss

What are the most frustrating things about medical news is when it’s contradictory. For instance, have you ever heard that playing video games can help cognitive function and memory in children? There have been a lot of stories about it over the years. But this is about the opposite effect, isn’t it? It sure is, so let’s focus on the researchers who say first-person shooters can damage your hippocampus and cause memory loss. 

Gamers who play FPS games more than 6 hours per week were tracked over four years. The results showed a decrease in the part of the brain where short-term memories are stored.

FPS gamers come in two types. Those who navigate the game with spatial memory strategies and those called response learners who manage to navigate using a part of the brain called the caudate nucleus. Most chronic gamers are this type, and after 90 hours of play, scans of their brains showed significant loss to the hippocampus. 

Before you hang up your Call of Duty dog tags, it’s worth noting that even the author of the study says more research is needed before anyone can confirm there’s a long-term danger to worry about.

4. Some Algae Blooms Cause Brain Damage and Memory Loss

In most towns that have beach access, if algae blooms show up in the water then a sign will be put out warning you not to go swimming. Most people know that an algae bloom can be dangerous, but probably not the extent to which these things cause harm. There are also multiple toxins that you need to watch out for.

One toxin called domoic acid forms in algae blooms and infects anything that may eat it. These toxins can then work their way up the food chain. A number of sea lions were affected in 2015, leading to brain damage and memory loss. 

Another toxin, Pfiesteria piscicida, gained infamy in the 1980s when fishermen exposed to it began exhibiting signs of cognitive dysfunction, and then the scientists studying it suffered the same fate. 

The microbe has not been studied well, nor has its effect on humans. Some people report confusion or nausea. One of the scientists studying it lost the feeling in his legs and had to crawl out of his lab to get help. When fish are infected with it, the result is death. Large lesions form on their bodies, and it looks like they’ve been burned by acid. 

3. A Study Linked SpongeBob to Poor Brain Function in Children

Over the years, people have found a way to demonize almost anything under the guise of protecting children. You can go all the way back to antiquity and read about how Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth. Elvis Presley did the same thing with his gyrating hips, and heavy metal music, violent video games, and sugar in soda are all in the same boat. They have all been accused of being bad for children in one way or another. But how many of those can be accused of damaging children’s brains on a fundamental level?

In 2011 a study concluded that SpongeBob SquarePants was hurting children’s brains and harming higher cognition. According to the study, 4-year-olds who sat down to watch 9 minutes of SpongeBob showed “less self-control, a reduced ability to delay gratification, and poorer working memory skills” than kids who did something else.

One of the conclusions drawn here was that kids who watch SpongeBob are overwhelmed by having to keep up with the fast pace, frantic cartoon. Obviously, the fact that these were four-year-olds did factor in, and no long-term conclusions were drawn suggesting they would have chronic memory issues. That said, if you ask a four-year-old to remember a phone number right after watching Spongebob, you’ll probably not be happy with the results. 

2. A Bad Sex Life Can Lead to Memory Loss in Later Life

Sex has been shown to provide multiple health benefits. From lower blood pressure to an improved immune system, pain relief, and depression relief, a healthy sex life boosts your well-being. You can add protecting your memory later in life to the list, also.

Sexually active patients between 50 and 89 score higher on memory tests than those who are not engaging in sexual activity. In another study that spanned 12 years, over 800 men were tracked, and those who experienced a lack of sexual satisfaction or erectile dysfunction also had higher instances of memory decline. The study was not concerned with how often a person had sex or how many partners they had, just their overall level of satisfaction. And if you are satisfied, you’ll probably suffer less memory decline in later years. 

1. Social Isolation Has Been Linked to Memory Decline

Being alone is not considered good for your health. One reason it’s good to keep in touch with others and maintain a social relationship is for the sake of your memory. Social isolation has been linked to memory loss, and it’s been determined that memory loss precedes social isolation, not the other way around. If you consider yourself a lone wolf, you might want to look into getting some friends to add to your wolfpack.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors saw the effects of social isolation firsthand. People who normally engaged with family and friends had to cope with being more alone, and the effects were profound. Studies during the pandemic were small, but associations were drawn between isolation and issues with memory. 60% of patients in one study who already had Alzheimer’s or mild memory impairment experienced worse issues.

It’s believed lack of socialization can cause cognitive decline and poorer resilience in your brain simply because your brain is getting so little stimulation. 

This year, the French began to enforce a law that bans unhealthily thin models, with said models needing a doctor’s certificate in order to be hired for work. In addition the law stipulates that digitally altered images, that make models appear even skinnier than they are, will need to be labeled as such. It’s a dramatic step to tackle the growing epidemic of eating disorders that continues to perpetuate in the Western world.

With more and more individuals attempting to reach unattainable beauty standards, it’s no surprise that weight loss gimmicks and scams have reached epic proportions. However, to our surprise, radical and misguided attempts weight loss have been prevalent throughout history. Here are 10 such methods more horrifying than you probably imagined…

10. Victorians Ate Live Tapeworms

The Victorian Era, which took place roughly between the 1830s to 1900, was known for its particular beauty standards. Most notably, women of wealth wore extravagant, multi-layered skirts which had a beehive shape. For women in the Victorian period, getting into those tightly worn outfits was a struggle in itself. Most women of the Victorian Era were pushed into fastening corsets around themselves, with the goal of achieving the esteemed 16 inch waist. Internal organs weren’t deemed to be of that much importance. And while corsets are not in great use today, a Victorian Era practice still is: tapeworms.

The concept is as terrifying as it is disgusting. Ingest a pill containing a tapeworm egg? Sounds more like a science fiction movie than a diet routine. We wish that were true. Apparently, once hatched, “the parasite grows inside of the host, ingesting part of whatever the host eats.” What makes the tapeworm diet so appealing to many is the belief that the dieter will not have to change their lifestyle or eating habits at all. The theory holds that ingesting the tapeworm allows hosts to lose weight and eat without worrying about calorie intake. There is little to no evidence that supports these claims, but somehow, the theory still exists with even “celebrities” like Khloe Kardashian suggesting their merits.

It’s our hope that the tapeworm will join the rest of Victorian fashion in the dustbins of history.    

9. Vinegar to Keep Thin

Khloe Kardashian won’t be the first or the last celebrity to use their status to promote an unhealthy weight loss method. Celebrities have long used their platform to either shape or inadvertently promote an unwise weight loss diet. Enter Lord Byron. The Romantic era poet and politician, Byron was greatly concerned about his figure and popularized a vinegar-based diet. Although side effects included vomiting and diarrhea, Byron would drink vinegar daily and eat potatoes soaked in the pungent liquid. It was meant to cleanse his body, as Byron believed that he had a “morbid propensity to fatten.”

Soon after his habit became known, it became a craze with one critic noting, “Our young ladies live all their growing girlhood in semi-starvation.” The youth of the period were so influenced by Byron that they began diets consisting of vinegar and rice to emulate their idol’s thin and pale look. The need to be perceived as thin was so great during the time that even Queen Victoria worried about gaining weight. It seems that even as times change, some things do not.

8. Poisoned Themselves With Arsenic

A precursor to the “wonder pills” that are currently advertised were the drugs, pills, and potions that became a part of the big business of weight loss in the 19th century. However, without the FDA, the 19th century drug makers were liable to include much more dangerous ingredients – including arsenic. For those unaware, arsenic is a rat-killing poison that will kill humans if consumed in large amounts. Studies have also linked prolonged exposure or use with cancer, diabetes, and liver disease. It remains unclear why exactly dieters believed that those ingredients would help in weight loss, but some experts believe that it “was advertised as speeding up the metabolism, much like amphetamines.”

The amount of arsenic used in these drugs and pills was small, but it was still extremely dangerous for users; especially because many would consume more than the prescribed amount with the belief that they would lose weight sooner.

7.  Dieters Would Chew And Spit Out Food

Some of the greatest artists in history have had their names used to characterize other works. Works resembling Shakespeare have become Shakespearean, works similar to Kafka have become Kafkaesque. It’s not much of a leap to believe that William Fletcher must have believed his name would join the great men in history with his radical Fletcherism diet.

In the early 20th century, Horace Fletcher came up with a new weight loss program. He argued that a lot of chewing and spitting was the most effective way to lose weight. It began to be known as Fletcherism, and as it became more nuanced, Fletcher stipulated that one must chew a mouthful of food until the “goodness” was extracted, then spit out the remaining material that was left. Fletcherism became immensely popular, with proponents including the likes of Henry James and even Franz Kafka. Items such as shallots were said to be chewed more than 700 times, and dinner parties soon began to include members timing one another’s chews.

As a result of the diet, participants only defecated once every several weeks. Fletcher seemed to take this as a positive, even arguing that one’s feces would smell like “warm biscuits.” It was said that William Fletcher even carried around a bag of his own feces to demonstrate the great smell.

6. Women Tried to Wash the Fat Away With Soap

If advertisements now seem deceptive, imagine seeing an ad that claimed that with just a little of soap, you could wash away fat. A 1920 newspaper advertisement did just that, claiming the La – Mar  brand could, “wash away fat and years of age.” The promotional material makes a lot of ridiculous claims, promising users that there was no need for “dieting or exercise. Be as slim as you wish.” In a lot of ways, what the La-Mar soap promises isn’t that outrageous in comparison to many of the current dieting plans. However, the La-Mar brand did make some claims that even the most ambitious scam artists wouldn’t make.

Here are a few: acts like magic removing double chin, results quick and amazing, and reduce any parts of the body desired without affecting other parts.

The amazing and terrifying thing is La-Mar wasn’t alone: La Parle existed in the United States with the same promises of their competitors, and undoubtedly the same “results.”

5. Breatharian Diet was Like a Cult

Probably the most terrifying diet on our list is more than just a diet, and is considered a philosophy and even a spiritual movement. Proponents believe that all one needs to survive is… sunlight. That’s it. Advocates claim that human beings who demonstrate spiritual purity can live solely on water, sunlight, and the life force (Prana). While it may seem to be an ancient hoax, “breatharianism” is currently practiced in the United States.

Leaders of the American movement, Wiley Brookes and their founder Jasmuheen (born Ellen Greve), have led its growth and resurging popularity. Jasmuheen claimed to be able to survive without any more than the occasional cup of tea for months on end. However, after an interview with 60 Minutes where she consented to stay in a hotel room to demonstrate her abilities, she was unable to stay for a single day without demonstrating signs of dehydration.

Actress Michelle Pfeiffer, who admitted to participating in the movement early in her career, has called it a cult with adherents who are very controlling and manipulative.

4. Anklets Were Another Form of Corsets

It’s hard to beat the crudeness and restrictiveness of the corset, but the anklet certainly made its best effort. A rubber device that appeared like a modern ankle brace, the anklet promised to “reduce your flesh.” The advertisement claimed that weight would be lost without diet or exercise, simply by dissolving fat as a result of perspiration that will be caused by wearing the anklet.

Promotional material claimed the anklet was deemed effective by a Dr. Jeanne P.H. Walter. And we don’t think it takes Holden Caulfield to tell us that the woman’s middle initials must have stood for phony.  

3. Spot Reducer Has a Familiar Advertising Slogan

The Spot reducer makes the list because of its demonstration of the parallels between ad campaigns. The great similarity between advertisement for the Spot Reducer and La- Mar soap is quite fascinating and terrifying. A one page promotional piece placed in the 1950 Milwaukee Sentinel for the Spot Reducer encouraged readers to not to stay fat, but to “lose pounds and inches safely.” A small gadget made of aluminum and rubber, the Spot Reducer was nothing more than a small vibrator. That didn’t stop advertisers.

Wherever the reader has extra weight, the Spot Reducer will erase it “like a magic wand,” they said. Similar to earlier ad campaigns, they told consumers that they did not have to worry about diet or exercise, all the work would be done by the Spot Reducer. It’s sad that people not only believed those words then, but continue to believe them now.

2. Tongue Patch Test

A “modern” iteration of the tapeworm diet, the tongue patch test consists of a doctor sewing a patch of mesh into patients’ tongues. As a result of the patch, swallowing or eating, in general, becomes difficult – even causing pain. The tongue patch test is most prevalent in Venezuela but has also been documented in the United States.

A cosmetic surgeon in California who has begun to administer the patch charges $2,000 for the procedure while promising it will lead to 18 to 20 pounds of weight loss in 30 days.

For those who found this method appealing, “the procedure comes with an 800-calorie per day liquid diet of shakes and drinks until the patch comes off.” Buyer beware.

1. Last Chance Diet Took Lives

Like Mr. Fletcher, the Prolinn diet also bears the name of its creator: Robert Linn. The Prolinn diet was created in the 1970s as a precursor to the wonder drinks of the 1990s. Linn’s special drink was said to contain “400 calories of liquid protein.” However, after some investigation, the “protein” in Linn’s drink began to be questioned. Soon after, it was revealed that the “protein” was nothing more than the leftover of slaughterhouse byproducts like crushed animal horns, hooves, hides, tendons and bones.

Linn then used artificial flavors, enzymes, and colors to make the drinks more appealing to consumers. And it became more than appealing to consumers: they actually bought it. Millions did. In total, two to four million people used the Prolinn diet to lose weight and, sadly enough, 58 people died from heart attacks while on it.