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Cognitive performance and its relationship with postprandial metabolic changes after ingestion of different macronutrients in the morning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Karina Fischer ,
Paolo C. Colombani ,
Wolfgang Langhans  and
Caspar Wenk
Karina Fischer*
Affiliation:
INW Nutrition Biology, Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Paolo C. Colombani
Affiliation:
INW Nutrition Biology, Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Wolfgang Langhans
Affiliation:
INW Physiology, Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Caspar Wenk
Affiliation:
INW Nutrition Biology, Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
*
*Corresponding author: Karina Fischer, fax +41 1 632 1128, email karina.fischer@inw.agrl.ethz.ch
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Abstract

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The effect of carbohydrate, protein and fat ingestion on simple as well as complex cognitive functions and the relationship between the respective postprandial metabolic changes and changes in cognitive performance were studied in fifteen healthy male students. Subjects were tested in three sessions, separated by 1 week, for short-term changes in blood variables, indirect calorimetry, subjective performance and different objective performance tasks using a repeated-measures counterbalanced cross-over design. Measurements were made after an overnight fast before and hourly during 3 h after test meal ingestion. Test meals consisted of either pure carbohydrates, protein or fat and were served as isoenergetic (1670 kJ) spoonable creams with similar sensory properties. Most aspects of subjective performance did not differ between test meals. For all objective tasks, however, postprandial cognitive performance was best after fat ingestion concomitant with an almost constant glucose metabolism and constant metabolic activation state measured by glucagon:insulin (G:I). In contrast, carbohydrate as well as protein ingestion resulted in lower overall cognitive performance, both together with partly marked changes (P<0.001) in glucose metabolism and metabolic activation. They also differently affected specific cognitive functions (P<0.05) in relation to their specific effect on metabolism. Carbohydrate ingestion resulted in relatively better short-term memory and accuracy of tasks concomitant with low metabolic activation, whereas protein ingestion resulted in better attention and efficiency of tasks concomitant with higher metabolic activation. Our findings support the concept that good and stable cognitive performance is related to a balanced glucose metabolism and metabolic activation state.

Keywords

Cognitive performanceMacronutrient ingestionPostprandial metabolism
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 85 , Issue 3 , March 2001 , pp. 393 - 405
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2001

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