"The brain needs glucose for energy and diets low in carbohydrates can
be detrimental to learning, memory, and thinking,"
You think? But, for those us with roux en y gastric bypass, carbs are "evil." For some of us, they cause severe problems - like reactive hypoglycemia - so? Damned if you do - damned if you don't. It's all about moderation. _____________________________________________________________________________  doi:10.1016/j.appet.2008.08.009
Low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets. Effects on cognition and mood References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article. Kristen E. D’Anci a,b, Kara L. Watts a, Robin B. Kanarek a and Holly A. Taylor a, , a Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02148, United States b Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, United States
Received 8 January 2008;
revised 31 July 2008; accepted 25 August 2008. Available online 29 August 2008.
AbstractTo examine how a low-carbohydrate diet
affects cognitive performance, women participated in one of two
weight-loss diet regimens. Participants self-selected a
low-carbohydrate ( n = 9) or a reduced-calorie balanced diet similar to that recommended by the American Dietetic Association (ADA diet) ( n = 10).
Seventy-two hours before beginning their diets and then 48 h, 1, 2, and
3 weeks after starting, participants completed a battery of cognitive
tasks assessing visuospatial memory, vigilance attention, memory span,
a food-related paired-associates a food Stroop, and the Profile of
Moods Scale (POMS) to assess subjective mood. Results showed that
during complete withdrawal of dietary carbohydrate, low-carbohydrate
dieters performed worse on memory-based tasks than ADA dieters. These
impairments were ameliorated after reintroduction of carbohydrates.
Low-carbohydrate dieters reported less confusion (POMS) and responded
faster during an attention vigilance task (CPT) than ADA dieters.
Hunger ratings did not differ between the two diet conditions. The
present data show memory impairments during low-carbohydrate diets at a
point when available glycogen stores would be at their lowest. A
commonly held explanation based on preoccupation with food would not
account for these findings. The results also suggest better vigilance
attention and reduced self-reported confusion while on the
low-carbohydrate diet, although not tied to a specific time point
during the diet. Taken together the results suggest that weight-loss
diet regimens differentially impact cognitive behavior.
|
"The brain needs glucose for energy and diets low in carbohydrates can be detrimental to learning, memory, and thinking,"
You think? But, for those us with roux en y gastric bypass, carbs are "evil." For some of us, they cause severe problems - like reactive hypoglycemia - so? Damned if you do - damned if you don't.
It's all about moderation.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets. Effects on cognition and mood
References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article.
Kristen E. D’Anci a,b, Kara L. Watts a, Robin B. Kanarek a and Holly A. Taylor a,
,
a Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02148, United States
b Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, United States
Received 8 January 2008;
Abstract
To examine how a low-carbohydrate diet affects cognitive performance, women participated in one of two weight-loss diet regimens. Participants self-selected a low-carbohydrate ( n = 9) or a reduced-calorie balanced diet similar to that recommended by the American Dietetic Association (ADA diet) ( n = 10). Seventy-two hours before beginning their diets and then 48 h, 1, 2, and 3 weeks after starting, participants completed a battery of cognitive tasks assessing visuospatial memory, vigilance attention, memory span, a food-related paired-associates a food Stroop, and the Profile of Moods Scale (POMS) to assess subjective mood. Results showed that during complete withdrawal of dietary carbohydrate, low-carbohydrate dieters performed worse on memory-based tasks than ADA dieters. These impairments were ameliorated after reintroduction of carbohydrates. Low-carbohydrate dieters reported less confusion (POMS) and responded faster during an attention vigilance task (CPT) than ADA dieters. Hunger ratings did not differ between the two diet conditions. The present data show memory impairments during low-carbohydrate diets at a point when available glycogen stores would be at their lowest. A commonly held explanation based on preoccupation with food would not account for these findings. The results also suggest better vigilance attention and reduced self-reported confusion while on the low-carbohydrate diet, although not tied to a specific time point during the diet. Taken together the results suggest that weight-loss diet regimens differentially impact cognitive behavior.