Healthy
Conditions
Keywords
Cognition
Brief summary
This study is a school-based, randomised, controlled, parallel groups trial to examine the acute effect of breakfast (ready-to-eat-cereal and milk) vs. no breakfast on cognitive function and subjective state in 11-13 year old adolescents. It was hypothesised that the consumption of breakfast will have a positive acute effect on cognitive performance and subjective state compared with breakfast omission in 11-13 year olds.
Detailed description
This study is a school-based, randomised, controlled, parallel groups trial to examine the acute effect of breakfast (ready-to-eat-cereal and milk) vs. no breakfast on cognitive function and subjective state in 11-13 year old adolescents. It was hypothesised that the consumption of breakfast will have a positive acute effect on cognitive performance and subjective state compared with breakfast omission in 11-13 year olds. The study sample consisted of males and females aged 11-13 years who were recruited to take part in the study from a UK secondary school. There were two conditions in this parallel groups study: Breakfast and No breakfast (fasting). The breakfast intervention consisted of ad libitum intake of ready-to-eat-cereal with milk. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline and +70 and +215 minutes post-intervention. The Cambridge Neuro-psychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB; Cambridge Cognition Ltd) was used to assess cognitive function. The battery included: Simple Reaction Time (SRT), 5-Choice Reaction Time (5-CRT), Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP), and Paired Associates Learning (PAL), which measured reaction time, visual-sustained attention, and visual-spatial memory respectively. Concomitant ratings of subjective mood, alertness, satiety, and motivation were taken throughout the morning using eight unipolar Visual Analogue Scales
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTBreakfast: ready-to-eat-cereal and milk
Sponsors
Kellogg Company
University of Leeds
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
11 Years to 13 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
The inclusion criteria were as follows: aged 11-13 years, willingness to consume RTEC with semi-skimmed cow's milk during the study, ability to follow verbal and written instructions in English, and normal vision with appropriate corrective lenses if required. The
Exclusion criteria
were as follows: inability to understand the objective of the cognitive tests or carry out the tests, behavioural difficulties or attention disorders, administration of any psychotropic medication in the month prior to testing or during testing, food allergies or intolerances which prevent consumption of RTEC and milk (e.g. coeliac, lactose intolerance), acute illness or feeling unwell within the week prior to testing or during testing, and hearing impairment that precluded the normal use of headphones.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline Paired Associates Learning (PAL) performance | baseline, 70 minutes post-intervention. | Paired Associates Learning (PAL) task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5-Choice Reaction Time task performance | baseline, 70 minutes and 215 minutes post-intervention | Reaction time assessed by 5-Choice Reaction Time (5-CRT) task. The task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers. |
| Rapid Visual Information Processing task (RVIP) performance | baseline, 70 minutes and 215 minutes post-intervention | Visual sustained attention assessed by Rapid Visual Information Processing task (RVIP). The task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers. |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of hunger | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of cheerfulness | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome. |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of energy | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome. |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of motivation to try hard | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of ease of distraction | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome |
| Simple Reaction Time task performance | baseline, 70 minutes and 215 minutes post-intervention | Reaction time assessed by Simple Reaction Time (SRT) task. The task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers. |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of feeling of awake | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of bad temperedness | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of cognitive test battery difficulty | baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of concentration during the cognitive test battery | baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of performance on the cognitive test battery | baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of frustration during the cognitive test battery | baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome |
| Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of ease of focusing | baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention | The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed