Does not eating affect concentration/test performance?

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TX500

TX500

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For those trying to get below 9% body fat, intermittent fasting is usually recommended. This diet = not eating for 16-18 hours, and then eating for 6-8. It's worked great for me (I'm down to 8% now) but am wondering if this could affect my performance on practice passages I take throughout the day (currently studying for the MCAT).

What do you guys think?
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How do you even measure body fat percentage.... Or rather why... Er... your brain needs calories to work properly, also being hungry is distracting and will waste time.
 
TX500 said:
For those trying to get below 9% body fat, intermittent fasting is usually recommended. This diet = not eating for 16-18 hours, and then eating for 6-8. It's worked great for me (I'm down to 8% now) but am wondering if this could affect my performance on practice passages I take throughout the day (currently studying for the MCAT).

What do you guys think?
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Not eating is really bad for you. Try a combination of cardio/weight exercise with a balanced diet of eating small portions of food throughout the day.
 
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serenade said:
How do you even measure body fat percentage.... Or rather why... Er... your brain needs calories to work properly, also being hungry is distracting and will waste time.
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There are tons of ways to measure body fat percentage.

And you guys, I'm not asking dieting advice! I know how to diet (I've been running track my whole life). Some people have a difficult time dropping below 9% with a normal diet so that's why I started this regime. Just wanted to see if it would inhibit mental performance!
 
TX500 said:
There are tons of ways to measure body fat percentage.

And you guys, I'm not asking dieting advice! I know how to diet (I've been running track my whole life). Some people have a difficult time dropping below 9% with a normal diet so that's why I started this regime. Just wanted to see if it would inhibit mental performance!
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If you want to have your mind at its sharpest then your tummy should be filled with lots of wholesome things. It needs fuel to work, and if you don't eat you could be capping off your mental performance levels prematurely.
 
Does anyone here know if low blood sugar can affect brain function on a molecular level?
 
Ashley1989 said:
Does anyone here know if low blood sugar can affect brain function on a molecular level?
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That's exactly what I was wondering (hence why I asked the question).

And how low does your blood glucose even get after a 16 hour fast? Low enough to make a difference?
 
TX500 said:
That's exactly what I was wondering (hence why I asked the question).

And how low does your blood glucose even get after a 16 hour fast? Low enough to make a difference?
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Haha give me a few minutes, I will do some research *pulls out neuro book*
 
Ashley1989 said:
Does anyone here know if low blood sugar can affect brain function on a molecular level?
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Yes, your brain is one of the few organs that doesn't really regulate sugar metabolism and probably will start using ketone bodies or something.

QUOTE=TX500;13592860]That's exactly what I was wondering (hence why I asked the question).

And how low does your blood glucose even get after a 16 hour fast? Low enough to make a difference?[/QUOTE]

Probably not too low, your live will export glycogen. Pending you're not starving in which case ketone bodies.
 
Planes2Doc said:
I believe so.

The brain consumes a whole lot of glucose! There are supplements that are geared toward helping improve glucose metabolism, such as Magnesium L-Threonate.
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This may be getting out there, but could that somehow be connected to the reason why when you get really hungry you get a headache and feel dizzy?
 
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Let me try and remember things correctly; please someone correct me if I'm wrong. (Or affirm that I'm right)

That depends on your particular variety of the enzymes you have for glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, etc. As well as the "set point" that your pancreas has for the glucose concentration at which it begins to release insulin.

But yes, your glucose can get low enough to affect your mental performance during fasting, even if you aren't a diabetic or prone to hypoglycemic episodes. Your brain needs a lot of glucose. It can use other fuels, like branched-chain amino acids, but they generally won't appear in appreciable levels during the time frame that the OP is talking about.

On a different pathway, hunger is one of several primitive urges that have the ability to take over your thought process to the point that you can't think about anything else.

So to the OP; yes, being hungry affects your mental performance. In several different ways.
 
Ashley1989 said:
But how, specifically.
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Your brain uses a lot of glucose and doesn't use insulin, basically your neurons will have limited glucose from the already low amount in the blood. Pending limited amounts of glycogen since he seems to be starving himself.


But honestly the biggest issue here is whether or not he'll be hungry during the test. Hunger is distracting, if you're reading a passage and suddenly start feeling acidy or crampy, etc, then you'll waste time trying to concentrate.
 
And why exactly do you want to starve yourself for periods of time to achieve such a low body fat percentage? Even if you're a dude, I'm pretty sure the lowest healthy body fat percentage is 4 or 5%. It seems extreme to strive for less than 9% through periodic fasting especially if your body can't naturally attain such a level. That to me says it's telling you it needs a little more than 9%.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure they've done cognitive studies on elementary school aged kids that prove ones who had a regular, healthy breakfast at school achieved better marks/test scores than those who were left to their own devices at home. I'll go out on a limb and say the evidence should apply to people of any age.
 
TX500 said:
For those trying to get below 9% body fat, intermittent fasting is usually recommended. This diet = not eating for 16-18 hours, and then eating for 6-8. It's worked great for me (I'm down to 8% now) but am wondering if this could affect my performance on practice passages I take throughout the day (currently studying for the MCAT).

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

You can eat for 6-8 hours? Cool.

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Go over to the fit thread. A lot of people that cut during medical school have a very difficult time because without carbs (and other essential nutrients) it's very difficult to maintain cognitive function, especially when it comes to conceptualization and memorization.

However, with a balanced diet, proper exercise, and rest (SLEEP!), it should be no problem maintaining a very lean body fat percent. But why in the world do you need < 9% BF? Also, keep in mind that the majority of BF% tests are horribly inaccurate (+/- several percent). One of the few accurate measures requires incredibly expensive submersion equipment.
 
TX500 said:
For those trying to get below 9% body fat, intermittent fasting is usually recommended. This diet = not eating for 16-18 hours, and then eating for 6-8. It's worked great for me (I'm down to 8% now) but am wondering if this could affect my performance on practice passages I take throughout the day (currently studying for the MCAT).

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

How about you just cut without fasting...

/thread
 
Simply put, the body is similar to an homeostatic environment, so to ask these types of questions is illogical. Of course too much or less of something is not beneficial regarding any aspect of cognitive performance and the alike
 
torshi said:
Simply put, the body is similar to an homeostatic environment, so to ask these types of questions is illogical. Of course too much or less of something is not beneficial regarding any aspect of cognitive performance and the alike
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Pretty sure the human body is a homeostatic environment.
 
I hear the Warrior Diet is similar, but you actually consume things like nuts and berries (pardon the pun) throughout the day in small quantities, and then eat a large meal at night.

Might be more viable as you'll still be spiking your blood sugar throughout the day, albeit with small quantities of low glycemic food.
 
TangoDown said:
I hear the Warrior Diet is similar, but you actually consume things like nuts and berries (pardon the pun) throughout the day in small quantities, and then eat a large meal at night.

Might be more viable as you'll still be spiking your blood sugar throughout the day, albeit with small quantities of low glycemic food.
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How small are the quantities during the day and how large is the meal at night? Seems like a lot of mixed reviews online about the Warrior Diet, but I can't find specifics.
 
Bangersandmash said:
How small are the quantities during the day and how large is the meal at night? Seems like a lot of mixed reviews online about the Warrior Diet, but I can't find specifics.
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That I can't tell you. I knew a dude quite knowledgeable about exercise (not a typical "bro"...like way into exercise physiology) who swore by it but he never went into too much detail other than bragging about what is wife made him for dinner and how he still was losing weight every week lol.

Course that's one person.

Intermittent fasting works but if you're doing strenuous intellectual activity, it's probably not the best idea. I disagree that one would go into starvation mode, as eating 3 meals a day is somewhat of a common phenomenon in human history, but the lack of food would probably damper your concentration at a certain point when you start to get hungry lol.
 
TangoDown said:
That I can't tell you. I knew a dude quite knowledgeable about exercise (not a typical "bro"...like way into exercise physiology) who swore by it but he never went into too much detail other than bragging about what is wife made him for dinner and how he still was losing weight every week lol.

Course that's one person.

Intermittent fasting works but if you're doing strenuous intellectual activity, it's probably not the best idea. I disagree that one would go into starvation mode, as eating 3 meals a day is somewhat of a common phenomenon in human history, but the lack of food would probably damper your concentration at a certain point when you start to get hungry lol.
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I could never follow an intermittent fasting regimen. If I don't eat within 3 hours of exercising, I have a horrible time. However, even a serving of nuts gets me by, so I'd be interested in hearing about this Warrior Diet. I just don't wanna pay for it.
 
I've been doing IF for two years now. I do my best studying fasted, actually. The hunger response is largely blunted, one acclimates after a few weeks. I take the MCAT tomorrow and did all of my practice tests in the morning; my average was 38 for AAMCs 3-11, and I made a 43 on 10. IF is a very sustainable and manageable diet plan.

I've also managed to cut down to <9% BF consistently and added plenty of weight to all of my lifts, so... it's possible.

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freshbagels said:
I've been doing IF for two years now. I do my best studying fasted, actually. The hunger response is largely blunted, one acclimates after a few weeks. I take the MCAT tomorrow and did all of my practice tests in the morning; my average was 38 for AAMCs 3-11, and I made a 43 on 10. IF is a very sustainable and manageable diet plan.

I've also managed to cut down to <9% BF consistently and added plenty of weight to all of my lifts, so... it's possible.

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I figured as much. I'm definitely going to try either IF or Warrior Diet when I hit 170lb (or start looking chubby lol). Just hope I don't lose much strength as I'm a strength athlete.
 
Koosalagoosagoo said:
My thoughts exactly hah :meanie:
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The thing is, he actually is right on this one. Don't get why you guys are giving him crap. The body isn't like a homeostatic environment, it is a homeostatic environment. Losing homeostasis is this wonderful thing called death.
 
The first week or two of IF kind of blows, but you will feel sharper after you get used to fasting. Check out Dr. John Berardi's work on IF.
 
Doesn't intermittent fasting release catecholamines? Which allegedly increase mental acuity.
 
OP, I'm assuming you have a broad knowledge of biology and human physiology. You should know the answer to the question: "Does not eating affect concentration?" (The answer is yes)
 
As for fasting causing low blood sugar, it depends on the individual.

If I were taking an exam, I would not go in hungry, or feeling deprived.

Eating a greasy, high carbohydrate meal could effect exam performance adversely too.

Having type 1 diabetes, I try to eat relatively low carbohydrate meals before exams (< 45 grams CHO). I usually eat 2-3 hours before an exam to avoid blood glucose problems. This is what I do to have decent blood glucose values during exams, since it can effect performance.
 
moco89 said:
Yes. (I have type 1--autoimmune--diabetes)
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One does not simply stumble into true hypoglycemia unless one has an endocrine disorder (like T1/T2DM). One's fasting blood glucose stays relatively constant for at least 24 hr, although that number can be shortened if one exercises or otherwise depletes their body's stores.

I have been intermittent fasting (16 fasted/8 fed) for 2 years, which has encompassed my final year of undergrad and this year in an SMP, as well as studying for and taking an MCAT. If anything, I feel sharper before I start eating rather than after. Sometimes, if I fast for 20 or more hours I begin to feel a bit cranky, but I generally don't get to that point.

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freshbagels said:
One does not simply stumble into true hypoglycemia unless one has an endocrine disorder (like T1/T2DM). One's fasting blood glucose stays relatively constant for at least 24 hr, although that number can be shortened if one exercises or otherwise depletes their body's stores.

I have been intermittent fasting (16 fasted/8 fed) for 2 years, which has encompassed my final year of undergrad and this year in an SMP, as well as studying for and taking an MCAT. If anything, I feel sharper before I start eating rather than after. Sometimes, if I fast for 20 or more hours I begin to feel a bit cranky, but I generally don't get to that point.

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Not true. Some people are prone to hypoglycemia, endocrine disorder or not.

I am not against fasting at all. I go several hours (even days) without eating or consuming carbohydrates for that matter.
 
torshi said:
You're one annoying kid. Just trying to get another post count? Depressing..
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It's quite entertaining actually. Not depressing at all.

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moco89 said:
Not true. Some people are prone to hypoglycemia, endocrine disorder or not.

I am not against fasting at all. I go several hours (even days) without eating or consuming carbohydrates for that matter.
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Most foods have some carbs in them. How much are you eating? <10g per day? Less?

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8% body fat????

tumblr_md7ip9vx3Z1rfy2fao1_500-1_zps14ea8bc8.jpg
 
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