"Young Love," the 1957 hit song from Sonny James, extols the way first love inflames your body and soul.

Unfortunately, lack of exercise, persistent stress, and eating overly processed foods when you're a young adult also inflames you too. The results are problems with cognition and memory in middle age.

That's the finding of a study published in the journal Neurology. Researchers looked at levels of highly specific C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) — which is a marker for inflammation that's produced in the liver — and found that chronically moderate or high levels of inflammation in a person's 20s or 30s hamper the ability to plan, focus, and manage multiple tasks in their 40s and 50s.

Only 10% of people with low-level inflammation had cognition challenges 18 years later, but around 20% of those with moderate or high levels of inflammation did.

How do you know if you have chronic inflammation?

A blood test can reveal your hs-CRP levels. Symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, body and joint pain (especially in the morning), depression, anxiety, frequent infections, gastrointestinal woes, and weight loss or gain.

They're often related to obesity, periodontal disease, or vaginal infections as well.

How do you cool it?

First, eliminate inflammatory foods such as added sugars, syrups, refined carbohydrates, and red meats. Instead, opt for healthy fats such as the omega-3s in salmon and omega-9s in extra-virgin olive oil.

It's also important to eat five-plus servings of fruits and vegetables a day, enjoy walnuts and almonds, and manage stress with exercise and meditation.