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Baseline glucoregulatory function moderates the effect of dairy milk and fruit juice on postprandial cognition in healthy young adults

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Abstract

Purpose

Few studies have examined acute cognitive effects of dairy products. Prior work suggests baseline glucoregulatory function may moderate the relationship between macronutrient profile and postprandial cognition. This study examined the role of glucoregulatory function in postprandial cognition after milk, fruit juice, and a water control. We hypothesized juice would improve cognition in those with lower fasting glucose, while milk would improve cognition in those with higher fasting glucose.

Design

86 non-diabetic, non-hypoglycemic young adults attended three 8 AM testing sessions after fasting overnight. Fasting glucose was assessed via fingerstick at each session. Participants consumed 8 oz of 1% milk (12 g carbohydrates), apple juice (29 g carbohydrates), or water in a randomized, counterbalanced order, and completed repeatable standard and running memory continuous performance (SCPT—vigilance; RMCPT–working memory) and go/no-go (GNG–inhibitory control) tasks 30, 90, and 120 min post-ingestion.

Results

Participants with fasting glucose above 107.69 mg/dL made significantly fewer GNG commission errors overall after milk versus water, while the converse was observed when fasting glucose was below 70.85 mg/dL (p = 0.003). At 30 min, participants with fasting glucose above 105.80 mg/dL made significantly more RMCPT correct responses per minute after milk versus juice, while the opposite occurred when fasting glucose was below 76.85 mg/dL (p = 0.006). For both tasks, differences greatened as fasting glucose increased or decreased beyond these upper and lower bounds, respectively.

Conclusions

Consideration of baseline glucoregulatory function is crucial when assessing postprandial cognition, even in non-diabetic and non-hypoglycemic samples. Dairy milk may improve cognition in persons with higher fasting glucose.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded in part by the National Dairy Council, Awards #1134 and #2356.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, PO Box 5190, 600 Hilltop Drive, Kent, OH, 44240, USA

    Jason R. Anderson, John Updegraff, John Gunstad & Mary Beth Spitznagel

  2. Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 116 North Murray, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Misty A. W. Hawkins

Authors
  1. Jason R. Anderson
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  2. Misty A. W. Hawkins
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  3. John Updegraff
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  4. John Gunstad
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  5. Mary Beth Spitznagel
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Correspondence to Mary Beth Spitznagel.

Ethics declarations

All procedures were approved by the local Institutional Review Board and conformed to ethical standards set forth by the Declaration of Helsinki and its amendments.

Informed consent

All participants provided written informed consent prior to study involvement.

Conflict of interest

Dr. M.B. Spitznagel serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee for Nutrition Research for the National Dairy Council. The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Anderson, J.R., Hawkins, M.A.W., Updegraff, J. et al. Baseline glucoregulatory function moderates the effect of dairy milk and fruit juice on postprandial cognition in healthy young adults. Eur J Nutr 57, 2343–2352 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1505-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1505-0

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