The Effect of Simple Versus Complex Carbohydrates on Mood and Plasma Glucose and Tryptophan Levels

Program year: 1990/1991Digitized from print original stored in HDRSubjects 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