Glycaemic control and cognition:evidence across the lifespan

There has been increasing interest in the effects of nutrition on cognitive perfor- mance and more specifically how cognitive performance can be optimised using nutritional interventions. The macronutrient glucose has particularly received atten- tion and is perhaps most thoroughly researched in terms of its effects on cognition. The notion that oral glucose administration might facilitate mental performance was first proposed in the 1950s. Hafermann (1955) investigated the effects of glucose administration on school children and observed a distinct increase in cognitive per- formance, including performance in mathematics, and generally improved concen- tration. However, it was not until the mid-1980s that glucose effects on cognitive performance became more widely investigated (Gold, 1986). In this chapter the impact of glucose administration and glucose regulation on cognitive processes across the lifespan will be reviewed. We describe the ways by which glucose might facilitate cognitive performance and evaluate potential nutri- tional and lifestyle interventions that may be beneficial to optimising cognitive performance and/or prevent cognitive decline. We begin, however, by discussing some of the features of glucose metabolism that are important for the understanding of its role in cognitive performance.