Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T23:29:13.786Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influences of dietary and intraduodenal lipid on alertness, mood, and sustained concentration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Anita S. Wells ,
Nicholas W. Read  and
Angus Craig
Anita S. Wells
Affiliation:
Centre for Human Nutrition, University of Sheffield, Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield, S7 5AU
Nicholas W. Read
Affiliation:
Centre for Human Nutrition, University of Sheffield, Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield, S7 5AU
Angus Craig
Affiliation:
MRC/ESRC Social and Applied Psychology Unit, University of Sheffield, Mushroom Lane, Sheffield, S10 2TN
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The effects of intraduodenal and dietary lipid on alertness, mood and performance in a task requiring sustained attention were investigated in two studies. The first experiment compared the effect of duodenal infusion of either 100 g/l Intralipid (8·36 kJ/min) or isotonic saline (9 g NaCl/l) in paired studies carried out on two non-consecutive days on five male volunteers. Two consecutive 3 h infusions, one of lipid, the other saline, were given blind on each day using a crossover design. Analysis of variance indicated that lipid significantly reduced alertness (P < 0·05) and affected the speed and accuracy of performance in a sustained attention task (P < 0·05). A second experiment compared the effects on eight male volunteers of two isoenergetic lunches of similar appearance, taste and protein content but differing fat and carbohydrate (CHO) contents (fat energy:CHO, 64:18 v. 7:76). Alertness was lower (P < 0·05) and responses to stimuli in a sustained attention task were slower after the high-fat meal than after the low-fat meal (P < 0·05). In conclusion, infusion of lipid into the small intestine, and the substitution of fat for carbohydrate while keeping energy and protein constant in a lunch, both cause an enhanced postprandial decline in alertness and concentration. This may be related to the presence of lipid in the small intestine.

Keywords

LipidPostprandial alertness
Type
Lipid intake and alertness
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 74 , Issue 1 , July 1995 , pp. 115 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1995

References

Ashley, D. V., Barclay, D. V., Chauffard, F. A, Monnoz, D. & Leathwood, P. D. (1982) Plasma amino acid responses in humans to evening meals of differing nutritional composition. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 36, 143–153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Craig, A., Davies, D. R. & Matthews, G. (1987) Diurnal variation, task characteristics, and vigilance performance. Human Factors 29, 675–684.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1991) Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. Report on Health and Social Subjects no. 41. London: H.M.Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Fara, J. W., Rubinstein, E. H. & Sonnenschein, R. R. (1969) Visceral and behavioural responses to intraduodenal fat. Science 166, 110–111.Google Scholar
Fujimoto, K., Fukagawa, K., Sakata, T. & Tso, P. (1993) Suppression of food intake by apolipoprotein A-IV is mediated through the central nervous system in rats. Journal of Clinical Investigation 91, 1830–1833.Google Scholar
Laming, D. (1988) Some boundary conditions of choice reaction performance. In Pharmacology and Reaction Time, pp. 65–77 [Hindemarch, I., Aufdembrinke, B. and Ott, H., editors]. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Lloyd, H. M., Green, M. W. & Rogers, P. J. (1994) Mood and cognitive performance effects of isocaloric lunches differing in fat and carbohydrate content. Physiology and Behaviour 56, 51–57.Google Scholar
Murray, B. E., Clarke, K. A. & Rumsey, R. D. E. (1993) The effect in rats of intestinal intraluminal lipid on post prandial activity determined by Doppler shift radar. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 52, 359A.Google Scholar
Neuchterlein, K. H., Parasuraman, R. & Jiang, Q. (1983) Visual sustained attention: image degradation produces rapid sensitivity decrement over time. Science 220, 327–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Read, N. W. (1980) Kinetic study of small intestinal transport in man determined by measurement of transmucosal potential difference. MD Thesis, University of Cambridge.Google Scholar
Rohrbaugh, J. W., Stapleton, J. M., Parasuraman, R., Frowein, H. W., Adinoff, B., Varner, J. L., Zubovic, E. A., Lane, E. A., Eckardt, M. J. & Linniila, M. (1988) Alcohol intoxication reduces visual sustained attention. Psychopharmacology 96, 442–446.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwartz, G. J., McHugh, P. R. & Moran, T. H. (1993) Gastric loads and cholecystokinin synergistically stimulate rat gastric vagal afferents. American Journal of Physiology 265, R872–R876.Google Scholar
Sepple, C. P. & Read, N. W. (1990) Effect of prefeeding lipid on food intake and satiety in man. Gut 31,158–161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, A. (1988) Effects of meals on memory and attention. In Practical Aspects of Memory: Current Research and Issues. Volume 2: Clinical and Educational Implications, pp. 447–482 [Gruneberg, M.M., Morrison, P. E. and Sykes, R. N., editors]. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Smith, A. & Kendrick, A. M. (1992) Meals and performance. In Handbook of Human Performance, Vol. 2, pp. 1–23 [Jones, D.M. and Smith, A. P., editors]. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Smith, A. & Miles, C. (1986) Effects of lunch on selective and sustained attention. Neuropsychobiohgy 16, 117–120.Google Scholar
Spring, B., Maller, O., Wurtman, J., Digman, L. & Cozolino, L. (1982/1983) Effects of protein and carbohydrate meals on mood and performance; interactions with sex and age. Journal of Psychiatric Research 17, 155–167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stacher, G., Bauer, H. & Steinringer, H. (1979) Cholecystokinin decreases appetite and activation evoked by stimuli arising from the preparation of a meal in man. Physiology and Behaviour 23, 325–331.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thayer, R. E. (1989) The Biopsychology of Mood and Arousal. Oxford: University Press.Google Scholar