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7. High-carb foods can help you think more clearly?
True (at least in the laboratory).
The brain requires glucose to synthesize acetylcholine, which is essential to memory. Since the brain can't store glucose, it needs a constant supply, derived mainly from carbohydrates, to keep functioning at peak capacity. Rats perform better on memory tests after scientists inject glucose directly into their brains. And a number of studies have shown that a pure-glucose drink or high-carbohydrate snack such as a glass of orange juice or a bagel can temporarily boost memory and cognitive performance in humans. However, the benefits were typically quite modest. Moreover, most of those studies were done in people who were fasting. So it's unclear whether consuming additional carbohydrates on top of your regular intake would provide any mental edge-or whether the boost stems from the energy supplied by food in general, not just carbohydrates.
How well your body regulates blood glucose may affect cognitive function far more than your carbohydrate intake does. Studies show that people who have either a very high or very low glucose level perform worse on a variety of mental tests than people with a normal level. And individuals with diabetes, whose bodies can't regulate blood sugar effectively, are generally more prone than other people to cognitive impairment. That provides another reason to try to prevent diabetes, by exercising regularly, losing excess weight, stopping smoking, and consuming plenty of fiber-and for all adults to have their blood-sugar level tested regularly.
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