Dietary Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat Enhance Memory Performance in the Healthy Elderly

Background: Dietary carbohydrates can improve memory. Whether these effects are related to elevations in blood glucose or to energy ingestion is unknown.

Objectives: Our objectives were to determine 1) the influence of isoenergetic protein-, carbohydrate-, and fat-containing drinks on cognitive performance and 2) whether the time period after ingestion affects cognition.

Design: After fasting overnight, 11 men and 11 women aged 61-79 y consumed either a 300-mL drink containing 774 kJ as pure protein (whey), carbohydrate (glucose), or fat (safflower oil) or a nonenergy placebo on 4 separate mornings. Cognitive tests were administered 15 and 60 min after ingestion of the drinks. Plasma glucose and serum insulin concentrations were measured.

Results: Only the carbohydrate drink increased blood glucose (P < 0.0001). Compared with the placebo, all 3 macronutrients improved delayed paragraph recall (PR) (P < 0.001) and improved or tended to improve immediate PR (P < 0.04) 15 min after ingestion. Beneficial effects on other cognitive tests were confined to one or more of the macronutrients: carbohydrate improved Trail Making Test (Trails) performance at 60 min (P = 0.02) and tended to improve Trails at 15 min (P = 0.04) and PR at 60 min in men, carbohydrate and fat improved or tended to improve performance on Trails at 15 and 60 min in subjects with poor baseline scores (r > -0.41, P < 0.03), fat tended to improve attention at 60 min (P < 0.05), and protein reduced the rate of forgetting on the PR at 15 min (P = 0.002).

Conclusions: Energy intake from protein, carbohydrate, or fat can enhance memory independently of elevations in blood glucose. Each macronutrient may also exert unique effects on cognition.