Study Shows Higher Carb Diet Improves Cognitive Function
New research compares high carb/low fat and low carb/high fat diets and shows the former has greater cognitive benefits:
“In overweight and obese patients, following an energy-restricted dietary plan for weight loss is associated with improvements in mood, regardless of macronutrient composition,” Dr. Grant D. Brinkworth told Reuters Health.
Moreover, while both a high- and low-carbohydrate diets seem to boost the speed of cognitive processing, “the interesting result was that compared to the high-carbohydrate diet, subjects consuming the low-carbohydrate diet had a smaller improvement,” Brinkworth noted.
Brinkworth, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization-Human Nutrition, in Adelaide, Australia and colleagues compared mood and cognitive function in overweight or obese, but otherwise healthy, men and women who were between 24 to 64 years old.
The carb/protein/fat ratios for these diets were as follows:
The low-carbohydrate diet contained 35 percent total protein, 61 percent total fat (20 percent saturated fat) and 4 percent total carbohydrate. The high-carbohydrate diet consisted of 24 percent total protein, 30 percent total fat (less than 8 percent from saturated fat), and 46 percent total carbohydrate.
The “higher carb” diet ratios are roughly those of the Zone Diet and subsequent diet plans which advocate moderate carbohydrates. More evidence gives credence to the validity and benefits of this type of dieting. Complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes have long been a staple food for bodybuilding.
