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Effects of Potatoes and Other Carbohydrates Consumed at Breakfast on Cognition, Glycemia and Satiety in Children
Author(s) -
Lee Jennifer J.,
Wong Vincent C.H.,
Cleary Shane,
Zepetnek Julia Totosy,
Fiocco Alexandra J.,
Bellissimo Nick
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.636.14
Subject(s) - meal , appetite , french fries , cognition , alertness , medicine , food science , chemistry , psychiatry , pharmacology
Background There is a positive association between regular breakfast consumption and cognitive performance in children, however, little is known about the role of macronutrient composition on cognition. The objective of the study was to examine the effects of 50 grams of available carbohydrates from potatoes and other carbohydrates on cognitive performance, glycemia and subjective appetite in 9–14 year old children. Methods Using a within‐subject cross‐over design, 22 children (age=12.4±0.3) were exposed to six counterbalanced conditions, each separated by one week, in which they consumed 50 grams of available carbohydrates from mashed potatoes (426kcal), French fries (424kcal), hash browns (515kcal), rice (407kcal), beans (476kcal), or continued to fast (no breakfast condition) within 2 hours of awakening following a 12‐hour overnight fast. In each condition, children underwent a battery of cognitive tests assessing short‐term and long‐term verbal declarative memory, spatial memory, short‐term auditory memory, working memory, and information‐processing speed over a 3‐hour period. Children provided capillary blood glucose and subjective appetite ratings at baseline (0min) and at 10, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min post‐meal consumption. Results Analyses showed that blood glucose incremental area under the curve (mean mmol·min/L ± SEM) was highest after rice (160±16.8) compared with beans (84.0±12.7) and hash browns (106.8±13.8) (p<0.01). Although alertness was higher after French fries (p<0.01), hash browns (p<0.01), mashed potatoes (p<0.01), and rice (p=0.04) compared with beans and meal skipping, children recalled more words after consuming French fries only, compared with mashed potatoes (p<0.01) and rice (p=0.03). Subjective average appetite (mm/kcal) was lowest after mashed potatoes compared with all other test treatments (p<0.01). Conclusions This study suggests that different forms of carbohydrate intake differentially impact cognitive function and appetite, independent of glycemia. Future studies investigating the physiological and neurochemical mechanisms for cognitive performance and food intake control in breakfast‐eating and non‐breakfast eating children are recommended. Support or Funding Information This study was supported by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE).