A Good Breakfast can Boost your Grades

A good breakfast can help students score better in the coming examinations.

Evidence suggests that eating breakfast really does help students learn. After fasting all night, the brain needs a fresh supply of glucose — or blood sugar. That's the brain's basic fuel.

"Without glucose," explains Terrill Bravender, professor of Pediatrics at Duke University, "our brain simply doesn't operate as well. People have difficulty understanding new information; they have a problem with visual and spatial understanding, and remembering."

Haven’t we all had the experience of our brains struggling desperately to get that crucial name, term or date during the exam, which we had known till yesterday? Slips in calculation are more frequent when the brain runs without enough fuel.

Dozens of studies from as far back as the 1950s have consistently shown that children who eat breakfast perform better academically than those who don't. In a recent study of 4,000 elementary school students, researchers measured the effects of eating breakfast by administering a battery of attention tests. To measure short-term memory, researchers read a series of digits out loud — 5, 4, 2 and so on — and asked the children to repeat them. The children were scored on how many digits they could remember correctly. To test verbal fluency, the kids were asked to name all the animals they could think of in 60 seconds. Across the board, breakfast eaters performed better than those children who had skipped breakfast.

Does it then matter what we eat for breakfast?

Most experts recommend non-sugared cereals made up of complex carbohydrates that have low glycemic index.

The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly the carbohydrates in food are absorbed into our bodies and converted to fuel. When it comes to sustained brain power, food that is low on the scale — such as whole grains — is preferable. Even though a bowl of sugary cereal and a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal or chapatti may have the same number of carbohydrates, they have very different glycemic loads.

Sugary food, such as sweetened custard or milk shake, get into your body quickly and cause a peak in blood-sugar levels, but the levels then fall dramatically after two hours or so. Oatmeal or bread, composed of complex carbohydrates mixed with fibre, on the other hand, release energy slowly, producing a steady rise in blood sugar and providing enough energy to last through the morning.

What's more, complex carb eaters don't experience a steep drop in blood-sugar levels that can bring with it a release of hormones that affect mood, concentration and memory.

An examination is not just about what you know, but what and how you can recall, apply and put that across on that day. Intelligent students therefore, realize the importance of strategizing and enhancing their performance.

A good wholesome breakfast, often neglected by students and parents, can help students perform better in examinations.

As published in HT City ( Hindustan Times) dated 24 February, 2013.