Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T20:45:48.261Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Carbohydrate intake improves cognitive performance of stress-prone individuals under controllable laboratory stress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

C. R. Markus ,
G. Panhuysen ,
L. M. Jonkman  and
M. Bachman
C. R. Markus*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychonomics, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
G. Panhuysen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychonomics, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
L. M. Jonkman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychonomics, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
M. Bachman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychonomics, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Rob Markus, present address TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, Division of Target Organ Toxicology, Utrechtseweg 48, PO Box 360, 3700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands, fax +31 30 6960264, email [email protected]
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.

Cognitive performance has been found to decline after exposure to stress, particularly in stress-prone subjects. The present study investigated whether a carbohydrate-rich, protein-poor (CR/PP) diet, which may enhance cerebral serotonin function in stress-prone subjects due to increases in the available tryptophan, improves the performance of stress-prone subjects after exposure to acute laboratory stress. Twenty-two high-stress-prone (HS) subjects and twenty-one low-stress-prone (LS) subjects aged between 19 and 26 years performed a memory scanning task after controllable and uncontrollable stress, following either a CR/PP diet or a protein-rich, carbohydrate-poor (PR/CP) isoenergetic diet. Uncontrollable stress reduced feelings of control (F(1,38) 9·30; P = 0·004), whereas pulse rate and skin conductance increased after both stress tasks (F(1,38) 78·34; P = 0·0005 and F(1,37) 83·16; P = 0·0004). Diet, stress-proneness and stress-controllability interacted (F(1,36) 9·46; P = 0·004) in such a way that performance in HS subjects was better with the CR/PP diet than with the PR/CP diet, but only after controllable stress. As the CR/PP diet has been found to increase the plasma tryptophan: large neutral amino acids ratio, indicating an increased availability of cerebral tryptophan and, thus, higher serotonin levels, it appears that there may be an increased availability of brain serotonin in HS subjects after controllable laboratory stress.

Keywords

CarbohydrateCognitive performanceStress
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 82 , Issue 6 , December 1999 , pp. 457 - 467
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

References

Adell, A, Garcia-Marquez, C, Armario, A & Gelpi, E (1988) Chronic stress increases serotonin and noradrenaline in rat brain and sensitizes their responses to a further acute stress. Journal of Neurochemistry 50, 1678–1681.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Altman, HJ & Normile, HJ (1988) What is the nature of the role of serotonergic nervous system in learning and memory: prospects for development of an effective treatment strategy for senile dementia. Neurobiology of Aging 9, 627–638.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anisman, H & Zacharko, RM (1991) Multiple neurochemical and behavioral consequences of stressors: implications for depression. In Psychopharmacology of Anxiolytics and Antidepressants, pp. 57–82 [File, SE, editor]. New York, NY: Pergamon.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellisle, F, Blundell, JE, Dye, L, Fantino, M, Fletcher, RJ, Lambert, J, Roberfroid, M, Specter, S, Westenhöver, J & Westerterp-Plantenga, MS (1998) Functional food science and behaviour and psychological functions. British Journal of Nutrition 80, Suppl. 1, S173–S193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bolger, N & Schilling, EA (1991) Personality and the problems of everyday life: the role of neuroticism in exposure and reactivity to daily stressors. Journal of Personality 59, 355–386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brand, N & Houx, PJ (1992) MINDS: Towards a computerized test battery for health psychological and neuropsychological assessment. Behavioural Research Methods, Instrumentation and Computers 24, 385–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bremner, JD, Southwick, SM, Brett, E, Fontana, A, Rosenheck, R & Charney, DS (1992) Dissociation and posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam combat veterans. American Journal of Psychiatry 149, 328–332.Google ScholarPubMed
Cancela, LM & Molina, VA (1990) Reduced apomorphine-induced sedation following chronic stress. European Journal of Pharmacology 134, 117–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christensen, L & Redig, C (1993) Effect of meal composition on mood. Behavioral Neuroscience 107, 346–353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christensen, L, White, B & Krietsch, K (1985) Failure to identify an expectancy effect in nutritional research. Nutrition and Behavior 2, 149–159.Google Scholar
Cohen, S, Evans, G, Krantz, G & Stokals, D (1980) Physiological, motivational, and cognitive effects of noise in children. American Psychologist 35, 231–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Curzon, G (1985) Effects of food intake on brain transmitter amine precursors and amine synthesis. In Psychopharmacology and Food, pp. 59–70 [Sandler, M and Silverstone, T, editors]. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Deakin, JWF (1991) Depression and 5-HT. International Clinical Psychopharmacology 3, 23–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deakin, JWF & Graeff, FG (1991) 5-HT and mechanisms of defence. Journal of Psychopharmacology 5, 305–315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deary, L & Matthews, G (1993) Personality traits are alive and well. Psychologist 6, 299–311.Google Scholar
Delbende, C, Delarue, C, Lefebvre, H, Tranchand-Bunel, D, Szafarczyk, A, Mocaer, E, Kamoun, A, Jegou, S & Vaudry, H (1992) Glucocorticoids, transmitters and stress. British Journal of Psychiatry 160, Suppl. 15, 24–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eysenck, MW (1982) Attention and Arousal. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernstrom, JD, Larin, F & Wurtman, RJ (1973) Correlations between brain tryptophan and plasma neutral amino acids levels following food consumption in rats. Life Sciences 13, 517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernstrom, JD & Wurtman, RJ (1971 a) Brain serotonin content: physiological dependence on plasma tryptophan levels. Science 173, 149–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernstrom, JD & Wurtman, RJ (1971 b) Brain serotonin content: increase following ingestion of carbohydrate diet. Science 174, 1023–1025.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernstrom, JD & Wurtman, RJ (1972) Brain serotonin content: physiological regulation by plasma neutral amino acids. Science 178, 414–416.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gallagher, DJ (1990) Extraversion, neuroticism and appraisal of stressful academic events. Personality and Individual Differences 11, 1053–1058.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hockey, GR & Hamilton, P (1983) The cognitive patterning of stress states. In Stress and Fatigue in Human Performance, pp. 331–363 [Hockey, GRJ, editor]. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Joseph, MH & Kennett, GA (1983) Stress-induced release of 5-HT in the hippocampus and its dependence on increased tryptophan availability: an in vivo electrochemical study. Brain Research 270, 251–257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kanarek, RB & Swinney, D (1990) Effects of food snacks on cognitive performance in male college students. Appetite 14, 15–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kennett, GA, Dickinson, SL & Curzon, G (1985) Enhancement of some 5-HT-dependent behavioral responses following repeated immobilisation in rats. Brain Research 330, 253–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kramer, TH, Buckhout, R, Fox, P, Widman, E & Tusche, B (1991) Effects of stress on recall. Applied Cognitive Psychology 5, 483–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lieberman, HR, Caballero, B & Finer, N (1986) The composition of lunch determines afternoon plasma tryptophan ratios in humans. Journal of Neural Transmission 65, 211–217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lloyd, HM, Rogers, PJ & Hedderley, DI (1996) Acute effects on mood and cognitive performance of breakfast differing in fat and carbohydrate content. Appetite 27, 151–164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loeb, M (1986) Noise and Human Efficiency. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Luteijn, F & Bouman, TK (1988) The concepts of depression, anxiety and neuroticism in questionnaires. European Journal of Personality 2, 113–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luteijn, F, Starren, J & van Dijk, H (1975) Nederlandse Persoonlijkheids Vragenlijst (Dutch Personality Inventory). The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.Google Scholar
Mandler, G (1984) Mind and Body; Psychology of Emotion and Stress. New York, NY: Norton.Google Scholar
Markus, CR, Panhuysen, G, Tuiten, A, Koppeschaar, H, Fekkes, D & Peters, M (1998) Does carbohydrate-rich, protein-poor food prevent a deterioration of mood and cognitive performance of stress-prone subjects when subjected to a stressful task?. Appetite 31, 49–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marmar, CR, Weiss, DS, Schlenger, WE, Fairbank, JA, Jordan, BK, Kulka, RA & Hough, RL (1994) Peritraumatic dissociation and posttraumatic stress in male Vietnam theater veterans. American Journal of Psychiatry 151, 902–908.Google ScholarPubMed
Peters, ML, Godaert, GLR, Ballieux, RE, van Vliet, M, Willemsen, JJ, Sweep, CGJ & Heijnen, CJ (1998) Cardiovascular and catecholamine response to experimental stress: effects of mental effort and controllability. Psychoneuroendocrinology 23, 1–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pijl, H, Koppeschaar, HPF, Cohen, AF, Iestra, JA, Schoenmaker, HC, Frölich, M, Onkenhout, W & Meinders, AE (1993) Evidence for brain serotonin-mediated control of carbohydrate consumption in normal weight and obese humans. International Journal of Obesity 17, 513–520.Google ScholarPubMed
Rosenthal, NE, Genhart, MJ, Caballero, B, Jacobsen, FM, Skwerer, RG, Coursey, RD, Rogers, S & Spring, B (1989) Psychobiological effects of carbohydrate- and protein-rich meals in patients with seasonal affective disorder and normal controls. Biological Psychiatry 25, 1029–1040.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, A (1990) Stress and information processing. In Stress and Medical Procedures, pp. 58–79 [Johnston, M and Wallace, L, editors]. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Sorg, BA & Whitney, P (1992) The effect of trait anxiety and situational stress on working memory capacity. Journal of Research in Personality 26, 235–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spoont, MR (1992) Modulatory role of serotonin in neural information processing: implications for human psychopathology. Psychological Bulletin 112, 330–350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spring, B, Chiodo, J & Bowen, DJ (1987) Carbohydrates, tryptophan and behavior: a methodological review. Psychological Bulletin 102, 234–256.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spring, B, Maller, O, Wurtman, J, Digman, L & Gozolino, 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
Stanford, SC (1993) Monoamines in response and adaptation to stress. In Stress, From Synapse to Syndrome, pp. 24–30 [Stanford, SC and Salmon, P, editors]. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Stelmack, RM, Wieland, LD, Wall, MU & Plouffe, L (1984) Personality and the effects of stress on recognition memory. Journal of Research in Personality 18, 164–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sternberg, S (1969) Memory-scanning: mental processes revealed by reaction-time experiments. American Scientist 57, 421–457.Google ScholarPubMed
Sternberg, S (1975) Memory scanning: new findings and current controversies. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 27, 1–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tuiten, A, Panhuysen, G, Koppeschaar, H, Fekkes, D, Pijl, H, Frolich, M, Krabbe, P & Everaerd, W (1995) Stress, serotonergic functioning, and mood in users of oral contraceptives. Psychoneuroendocrinology 20, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watson, D & Clark, LA (1984) Negative affectivity: the disposition to experience aversive emotional states. Psychological Bulletin 96, 465–490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wells, A & Matthews, G (1994) Attention and Emotion: A Clinical Perspective. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.Google Scholar
Wurtman, RJ (1987) Nutrients affecting brain composition and behavior. Integrative Psychiatry 5, 226–257.Google ScholarPubMed
Yokogoshi, H & Wurtman, RJ (1986) Meal composition and plasma amino acid ratios: effects of various proteins or carbohydrates, and of various protein concentrations. Metabolism 35, 837–842.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Young, SN (1991) Some effects of dietary components (amino acids, carbohydrate, folic acid) on brain serotonin synthesis, mood, and behaviour. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 69, 893–903.CrossRefGoogle Scholar