It is widely accepted that our actions within our environments have a bioenergetic cost. This does not apply solely to physiological actions; an abundance of psychological research indicates that a multitude of cognitive tasks and functions also have associated bioenergetic costs. The brain’s singular source of energy is from glucose which is carried in the bloodstream, or from stores of glycogen in the liver (Schnall, Zadra & Proffitt, 2010) if glucose is not readily available in the blood. Conversely, low levels of glucose may lead to deterioration of both physical and psychological functioning. Schnall et al. proposed that supplementation of glucose via providing participants with sugary drinks could increase perception accuracy of hill …show more content…
Participants initially completed a Stroop task; this was so glucose was absorbed in the bloodstream of participants who had consumed the sugary drink and depleted in those who had not. Following the Stroop task, participants self-reported their weight and the experimenter placed weights which were approximately 20% of the participant’s reported weight into a backpack, which the participant was then instructed to put on. Whilst wearing the backpack, participants were asked to give a slant estimation of a hill. Three measures were used to record the estimation: a verbal estimation of the hill’s angle, a visual matching task where participants adjusted a disk to represent their estimate of the angle, and a haptic measure in which participants used their hand to adjust a board to their estimated angle without looking at their hand. Results were analysed using a between-factor ANOVA; significant results were found for verbal and visual measures but not for haptic, which was consistent with the theory that haptic estimates are not affected by glucose. The second similarly involved a Stroop task, self-reported weight, and provision of a sugary / non-sugary drink (in this case, Coke or Coke Zero). Participants’ blood glucose levels were measured before they consumed the drink using a finger-prick test, and ten
Biologically, sugar effects the brain very dramatically than what they knew around the 1700- 1900’s. When sugar is in your bloodstream the body reacts the same way as if
Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2015) state that there is research showing how brain plasticity can be enhanced through aerobic exercise (p.51). It is important that adults be active in their lives. A 30-minute walk or some type of physical activity will benefit them as the age. The text mentions a study done by Erickson and his colleagues in 2009 where they studied the effect of aerobic exercise on the hippocampus. They found that due to aerobic exercise it produced greater volume in the hippocampus. This is significant because the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory, emotions, and spatial functioning. The body does not only need physical activities to produce healthier cognitive functioning but also nutrients. The text identifies three nutrient biomarker patterns that are significant on the aging brain. These nutrients are vitamin B, C,D, and E, omega-3, and trans fat. the foods that belong to these nutrients are beneficial to the brain. Older adults should make an effort to include these nutrients into their diets. positive impacts these nutrients make are better cognitive functioning and greater brain
However, the association was not statistically significant. It is interesting to note that intervention groups (mindfulness intervention versus control) did not significantly differ in sweets consumption from baseline to six months, yet control participants consumed more sweets from six to 12 months and had significantly higher fasting glucose levels than those in the mindfulness group. It should also be highlighted that this fasting glucose increase (2.8 mg/dL) was still within normal range. In addition, measures of sweets consumption were given through self-report, and it is said that self-reported dietary intakes are often biased (Thompson, Subar, Loria, Reedy, & Baranowski,
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the development of plaque or protein deposits in the brain, especially areas associated with memory. Brain neurons collapse, crumble, and lose connections with other neurons which causes disorientation, confusion, erratic behavior, and partial to complete memory loss. (Trivedi, Bijal, 2012). While a poor sensitivity to insulin is associated with type 2 diabetes, some researchers including Dr. Suzanne de la Monte, a neuropathologist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, have suggested that Alzheimer’s disease may in fact be another type of diabetes. If these scientists are correct in their suppositions about diabetes and dementia, immediate and troubling concerns are going to present overwhelming challenges to the medical and senior care systems. Ewan McNay, of the University of Albany in New York states that “if the epidemic of type 2 diabetes continues on its current trajectory, it is likely to be followed by an epidemic of dementia” (Trivedi, Bijal, 2012). Alzheimer 's disease is increased in individuals with diabetes. Higher glucose levels in individuals without diabetes has also been associated with elevated occurrences of Alzheimer 's disease. These findings
Poor diet, like meat and potatoes, can alter the brain and create an imbalance on a well-functioning brain. According to Gomez-Pinilla (2008), there is an influence on specific nutrients that act on cellular processes that are important for maintaining cognitive function. Richard must implement a course of action and manage his life better. Although Richard is unable to go back to being free of his chronic illness, he is able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prolong his life by creating awareness for his current issue and applying self-control to maintain a healthier lifestyle. He also has good family support that can help him to maintain
The Groton maze is a computer cognitive test which requires a participant to find a twenty eight step pathway that is hidden on a 10 x 10 matrix of squares (Morgan et al. 2011). The maze measures the visuospatial executive function of an individual. This is done by assessing the total errors made throughout the trials which will highlight the level of the visuospatial executive function of the participant (Morgan et al. 2011). There are three essential rules to the maze that guide the participant’s attempt. Only one tile can be moved at a time; diagonal moves cannot be made; and if an incorrect choice is made, the participant must go back to the last location (Morgan et al. 2011). The device is seen as an effective method for measuring cognitive functioning because it is brief, reliable, valid and resistant to practice effects following multiple completions (Morgan, et al. 2011).
The hippocampus, in the limbic system of the brain, controls long-term memory and emotions. With the high sugar diets, inflammation markers within the hippocampus increased, but the immunomodulatory gene expression decreased. The inflammation markers directly correlate with the decrease in memory on these high sugar diets. Memory deficiency happened within short term exposures of sugar to the diet. Rats tested showed lower exploration ratios than control rats. These animals fed "sugar for less than 2 weeks (showed) impaired hippocampal-dependent place recognition memory compared to control and PUFA fed rats." (Beilharz, Kaakoush, Maniam, and Morris, 2016, p. 309). Place recognition tests confirmed the effects on memory with the sugar fed group being considerably lower in their scores. Sugar was the factor that proved to be "crucial for the memory deficits." (Beilharz et al., 2016, p. 309). The gut microbiome also has significant effects on emotions. Depression and anxiety, including anhedonic-like behaviors were found in direct relation to the sugar intake.
The average person should eat sugar, because “that simple energy source provided my body with what it needed to regulate my cortisol levels, help me get some sleep, and have more energy” Konie included this personal story to show and connect with the Audience on a personal level to show how sugar may be beneficial to the body rather than destructive if consumed in a healthy manner and at a controlled amount.
Research which was carried out showed that in most cases people do not account for the excess energy that they get due to the consumption of the sugar-sweetened drinks. They believe that this will increase the total energy intakes
As a source of immediate energy, sugar plays a crucial role in human diets by maintaining proper body functions. Through glycolysis and insulin mechanism, glucose is transported into cells in the form of ATP as a short-term energy source and the excess sugars naturally convert to glycogen stored as fat in the liver. Humans have a highly sensitive palate for sweetness because the increase of released euphoric endorphins and dopamine can relieve stress and anxiety (Fortuna, 2010).
The glucose levels of the students that did participate in the study stayed the same, and the listening span did improve after the consumption of the glucose drink. There was no difference or change in the listening span of the students that had beverages containing saccharine. Fasting also played a role in this study; it helped improve the listening span after the students received drinks
The two experiments reported in this paper pursued three aims: first, by manipulating metabolic energy they directly tested whether each individual’s energetic state was influenced by their spatial perception. Second, the studies utilized manipulations of metabolic energy in an unnoticeable manner so that participants were completely unaware whether they were in a high-energy or low-energy condition. If differences in perception were to be obtained, it would further support the proposition that these effects, and similar effects reported in earlier research, was not the result of experimental demand characteristics. Third, assessing individual bio energetic differences permitted an assessment of bio energetics state on perceived slant, independently of any experimental manipulations. In both experiments blood glucose levels were varied, with the expectation that high blood glucose would make hills appear less steep. Two lines of research have investigated the role of blood glucose in the following contexts: first, glucose has distinct physiological effects on the body, and second, glucose levels can influence cognitive functioning. The independent variable in this experiment was the tilt of the hill and the dependent variable was the blood glucose levels. The dependent variable was measured/manipulated by the experimenters altering the amount of sugar being placed into the participant’s blood stream as well as placing heavy objects in their backpacks. The
Having a “Brain Healthy Lifestyle” (Bend, 2014) is made up of several different categories that include “physical health, brain fitness, and vitality” (Bend, 2014) as well as “balanced nutrition, stress management, and mental stimulation” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Our physical health plays a major part in brain function. Exercising our bodies, eating well, and getting the proper amount of sleep has a huge impact on our physical health. “Our brain requires 25% of the blood that is pumped by your heart. The healthier your heart is, the healthier your brain will be” (Bend, 2014). Cognitive fitness is demonstrated by uses of vocabulary, thinking, perception, and attention. It is crucial to make it a normal everyday practice to challenge our brains through new activities. Taking part in a cooking class or learning to
In recent years brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking to brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain can change and form new connections when brain damage occurs. However, the idea that humans can train their brains to be more efficient and stronger seemed like a far-fetched cry from reality up until the late 1990’s (Weicker, Villringer & Thöne-Otto, 2016). As time went on and more research was conducted in the field of brain training, it became clear that brain training is not an exact science but, it does have real cognitive benefits.
Although the investigation was able to provide more knowledge and understanding regarding the relationships between energy, activity levels and carbohydrate intake in order to contribute towards a solution to the problem of obesity, there were many limitations to this experiment that needed to be considered. For the personal data, the dietary observations collected over the two experimental days were not substantial to represent their lifestyle as a whole. Studies led by Burke et al., (2001) demonstrated that individuals can make inaccurate reports in various ways such as altering their dietary intake during period of recording, omitting or underestimating their intake and quantification errors of their consumption. As the group data was a collation of individual’s two-day dietary records, variability and inaccuracy increased considering the wide range of influences each individual may have been subjected to. There were 359 females and 195 males involved in the