Is sugar really good for your brain?

[Trembling Fingers]

In Death Note, L eats nothing but sugar and sweets and it supposedly helps him think and makes him smart. Does this have any scientific basis? If so, does it matter what kind of sugar, like high fructose or carbohydrates, etc?

(I was going to post this Q on Yahoo Answers, but I've been posting whatever curious things comes to mind, and I'm running out of points.)

[logxdlady]

Trembling Fingers

In Death Note, L eats nothing but sugar and sweets and it supposedly helps him think and makes him smart. Does this have any scientific basis? If so, does it matter what kind of sugar, like high fructose or carbohydrates, etc?

(I was going to post this Q on Yahoo Answers, but I've been posting whatever curious things comes to mind, and I'm running out of points.)

I don't think so...

[Dorinkingu]

...He also has huge dark circles under his eyes from malnutrition. sweatdrop

[Trembling Fingers]

Dorinkingu

...He also has huge dark circles under his eyes from malnutrition. sweatdrop

I thought that was because he doesn't sleep.

[Dorinkingu]

Trembling Fingers

Dorinkingu

...He also has huge dark circles under his eyes from malnutrition. sweatdrop

I thought that was because he doesn't sleep.

Prolly both.

[DXnobodyX]

Other then your brain uses s**t loads of glucose, not really.

EDIT: sorry wasn't useful

Your brain uses a lot of glucose as its base nutrient to supply large amounts of energy rapidly to several areas. Without it you won't be functioning at your best, however there is a miriad of other nutrients that are required to not only support its metabolism like co factors and enzymes but also to make sure it reaches the area it needs to go to.

[Sun Saru]

Light had some nasty diabetes. Dark circles under the eyes is a sign of terribly high bloodsugar.

[Vannak]

I love sugar, and it does help me think and do things. Generally I find myself mentally sluggish and distractible. Sugar and Caffeine help me get more done, though I can't attest to impact on my quality of work

[A Letter From Janelle]

I love DeathNote, but I don't know if Anime/Cartoons have a strong connection with reality. There is the case that they do slip in common variables.

I heard that sugar can help your memory:
Example eating a piece of chocolate while studying. Studies show that if you eat chocolate while studying, and later on while taking the test, your scores will be slightly higher. Now, if that's a fact or just a myth, I'm not sure... But I wouldn't mind trying that out. smile

Sugar is not the only thing the brain needs, or your body for that matter. I don't think L would have lived long on that sort of diet. He'd get scurvy and a whole mess of digestive problems.

[Gackts_Massacred_Angel]

Actually, I read a study that says people are trying really hard to get artificial sweetener labeled as toxic because it is known to decrease memory and damage your kidneys, along with the other basic sugar-causing diseases, like diabetes, etc.

[Histamina]

I studied something similar (biological chemestry) and if I remember well, the brain consumes the 60% of glucose in blood.

Glucose is the principal fountain of energy that the brain has. Common sugar (sucrose) is 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

But It isn't mean that sweets are good. They have colorants, and the excess calories are storing like fats. And many chocolates can damage the liver, this last adjusts the sugar levels in blood and is a very important organ.

So, a balanced diet is the best for brain and body.
Don't follow L's diet... Anyway he didn't has a very long life =/.

Sorry for my bad english .-.

[Tactical Leg Sweep]

Maat-chan

I studied something similar (biological chemestry) and if I remember well, the brain consumes the 60% of glucose in blood.

Glucose is the principal fountain of energy that the brain has. Common sugar (sucrose) is 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

But It isn't mean that sweets are good. They have colorants, and the excess calories are storing like fats. And many chocolates can damage the liver, this last adjusts the sugar levels in blood and is a very important organ.

So, a balanced diet is the best for brain and body.
Don't follow L's diet... Anyway he didn't has a very long life =/.

Sorry for my bad english .-.

I was going to say something but this person said it all. While the brain's primary fuel source is glucose, that doesn't mean that eating more of it will somehow make you think better.

[Golden Dysprosium]

Trembling Fingers

In Death Note, L eats nothing but sugar and sweets and it supposedly helps him think and makes him smart. Does this have any scientific basis? If so, does it matter what kind of sugar, like high fructose or carbohydrates, etc?

(I was going to post this Q on Yahoo Answers, but I've been posting whatever curious things comes to mind, and I'm running out of points.)

...About as much as stacking them helps him with math.
If he doesn't sleep (why? ), his body would require him to constantly supply it with sugars/glucose to keep it functioning (though they wouldn't be sufficient in that form) . The by-product of this process (can't remember what it's called) is lactic acid, which is bad. So his pasty little sleep-deprived body will eventually become a diabetic sack of lactic acid. BTW, diabetes also causes some neural breakdown later on in life, which is why people who've lived with it for a long time tend to be a bit...off. So L will eventually lose his intelligence, thanks to the diabetes he got from his consumption of copious amounts of sugar, rather than eating like a normal person.

In the end, it's just a quirky, memorable personal trait, like biting your nails, and should not be followed.

[DXnobodyX]

A Letter From Janelle

I heard that sugar can help your memory:
Example eating a piece of chocolate while studying. Studies show that if you eat chocolate while studying, and later on while taking the test, your scores will be slightly higher. Now, if that's a fact or just a myth, I'm not sure... But I wouldn't mind trying that out. smile

The problem is separating nutrient supply from neurotransmitter production (i.e. endorphins)

[bear eating a salmon]

i have actually heard evidence for this. my friend in biology told me that without sugar you are basically rotting your brain. sugar is actually very important to the human diet. in fact, human breast milk is mostly sugar.