High-fat, high-carb diet better for pilots

GRAND FORKS, N.D., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A study for the U.S. Department of Defense found high-fat and carbohydrate diets are significantly better for pilots than high-protein diets, researchers said.

Glenda Lindseth, director of the College of Nursing Office of Research at the University of North Dakota and Paul Lindseth, associate dean for academics at the University of North Dakota and colleagues studied the effects of diet on cognition and flight performance in pilots.

"My work essentially involves an examination of the effects of manipulating macronutrients -- fat, protein and carbohydrates -- in the diets of healthy young adults and then measuring the effect that it has on cognition scores," Lindseth said in a statement.

"Results are indicating that flight performance scores for pilots consuming high-fat and carbohydrate diets are significantly better than for pilots who consumed high-protein diets, suggesting that a brief manipulation of diet could significantly impact performance on a test of short-term memory scanning and flight performance."

Previous studies found both passengers and pilots who ate high-protein or dairy products immediately before flying tended to feel worse, the researchers said.