| dc.description.abstract | Subjects either fasted, or consumed lunch time test meals consisting primarily of simple carbohydrate, complex carbohydrate, or protein. Mood measures consisting of the Profile of Mood States(POMS), the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), and the Activation-Deactivation Adjective Checklist (AD ACL), and plasma glucose and tryptophan levels were assessed prior to meals, at 30, 60, 120 and 180 minutes following meal consumption. All conditions produced an initial decline in POMS tension (p<0.0001), depression (p<0.0002), anger (p<0.0001), vigor (p<0.01), and confusion (p<0.01) scores, and in the AD ACL tension score (p<0.01), possibly due to a general postprandial effect or an acclimation to experimental conditions. A significant time by meal condition interaction effect (p<0. 05) was found for the AD ACL tension scores. The simple carbohydrate meal produced the greatest initial and net decrement in tension, possibly due to the high elevation in plasma glucose levels also produced by this meal. The decrease in tension caused by the simple carbohydrate meal and protein meal, and the smaller decrement in tension induced by the complex carbohydrate meal, occurred independently of fluctuations in the plasma tryptophan/LNAA ratios. These results contradict with the current understanding of carbohydrates influence on tryptophan levels and behavior and necessitate further research on the effects of simple versus complex carbohydrates on mood, and on the mechanisms through which these effects may be occurring. | en |
