TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of protein and carbohydrate meals on mood and performance
T2 - Interactions with sex and age
AU - Spring, Bonnie
AU - Maller, Owen
AU - Wurtman, Judith
AU - Digman, Larry
AU - Cozolino, Louis
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements-Supported m part by Ford Foundation grant 825-0359, NIMH grants MH 32355, MH 31154 and by an award from the Center for Brain Sciences and Metabolism Charitable Trust The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Maria Benet, David Brlggs, Joan Kahck, Anne Kendall, Maria Levitt, Jessie McNutt, Sally Smelker and Daryl Webster
PY - 1982
Y1 - 1982
N2 - Normal adult subjects (n=184) consumed a high-protein or high-carbohydrate meal. Two hours later their mood and performance were tested. The effects of meal composition on mood were different for men and women, and for older and younger subjects. Females, but not males, reported greater sleepiness after a carbohydrate as opposed to a protein meal. Male subjects, but not females, reported greater calmness after a carbohydrate as opposed to a protein meal. Older subjects responded differently to meals depending upon the time of day when these were consumed. When meals were eaten for breakfast (but not for lunch) individuals 40 yr of age or older felt more tense and less calm after a protein than after a carbohydrate meal. Although older subjects reported subjective discomfort after a morning protein meal, they displayed objective performance impairments after a carbohydrate lunch. Subjects 40 yr of age or older were impaired on a test of sustained selective attention (dichotic shadowing) after consuming a high-carbohydrate lunch. The shadowing impairment after carbohydrate consumption was as pronounced without distraction as with distraction and resulted mostly from increased omission errors. Our findings suggest negative effects on concentration when older subjects consume a high-carbohydrate, low-protein lunch. These negative effects of carbohydrate consumption appear to arise predominantly from lapses of attention rather than from intrusion of distractors.
AB - Normal adult subjects (n=184) consumed a high-protein or high-carbohydrate meal. Two hours later their mood and performance were tested. The effects of meal composition on mood were different for men and women, and for older and younger subjects. Females, but not males, reported greater sleepiness after a carbohydrate as opposed to a protein meal. Male subjects, but not females, reported greater calmness after a carbohydrate as opposed to a protein meal. Older subjects responded differently to meals depending upon the time of day when these were consumed. When meals were eaten for breakfast (but not for lunch) individuals 40 yr of age or older felt more tense and less calm after a protein than after a carbohydrate meal. Although older subjects reported subjective discomfort after a morning protein meal, they displayed objective performance impairments after a carbohydrate lunch. Subjects 40 yr of age or older were impaired on a test of sustained selective attention (dichotic shadowing) after consuming a high-carbohydrate lunch. The shadowing impairment after carbohydrate consumption was as pronounced without distraction as with distraction and resulted mostly from increased omission errors. Our findings suggest negative effects on concentration when older subjects consume a high-carbohydrate, low-protein lunch. These negative effects of carbohydrate consumption appear to arise predominantly from lapses of attention rather than from intrusion of distractors.
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U2 - 10.1016/0022-3956(82)90017-6
DO - 10.1016/0022-3956(82)90017-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 6764932
AN - SCOPUS:0020387735
SN - 0022-3956
VL - 17
SP - 155
EP - 167
JO - Journal of Psychiatric Research
JF - Journal of Psychiatric Research
IS - 2
ER -
