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Breakfast Can Make You Smart — Sometimes |
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Written by Superhuman
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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
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Your mother told you to eat a good breakfast so that you could concentrate in school. The brain uses glucose for fuel, so peak brain function depends on fuel availability. A review of literature by British scientist Leigh Gibson found that the
value and composition of a breakfast depends on the task. For memory tasks, people performed best when given a breakfast with low glycemic index foods that released sugar slowly. Not eating breakfast was best promoting for mental reaction time (e.g., identifying words flashed on a screen). Increases in cortisol were highest during stressful situations following a breakfast high in simple sugars. The brain is very good at managing its internal fuel levels. In general, the best breakfast includes low glycemic index foods that release sugar slowly. Breakfast is most important in people who have poor blood sugar control. (Nutrition Bulletin, 32: 71-83, 2007)
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