Influence of Breakfast on Mental Ability and Correlation with Protein Intake: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Mental functions represent the activity status of the brain and are assessed to understand mental ability. In qualitative term, the sum of mental abilities is referred to as 'intelligence'. A steady blood glucose level is the prerequisite for optimum brain function. Thus the importance of breakfast after a night long fast is immense. Brain tissue consumes additional glucose during challenging mental tasks. The present study assessed mental abilities using ' Arithmetic Test' and 'Matrix Test' in addition to Academic performance taking two groups of young boys (10-12 yrs.) under given experimental conditions referred to as 'with breakfast' and 'without breakfast'.The results of mental functions with and without breakfast corroborate with earlier reports suggesting a positive correlation of blood glucose with mental ability. The study further confirms a positive correlation of dietary protein intake with mental ability of the study population.