Been Losing Lately? Your Blood Glucose may be too High Before your Game Starts!

My team captain and friend, Dave, recently asked about glucose (blood sugar) levels and chess play.

Research suggests that keeping glucose levels relatively low prior to a game, may be essential for playing at your best. A healthy pulse pressure (the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure) may also be important. Consider this study where scientists related risks for vascular disease to cognitive performance. I added the definitions in parenthesis.

Aging, vascular risk, and cognition: blood glucose, pulse pressure, and cognitive performance in healthy adults.

Psychology and Aging. 2009 Mar;24(1):154-62. doi: 10.1037/a0014283.

Dahle CL, Jacobs BS, Raz N.

Institute of Gerontology, WayneStateUniversity, Detroit, MI48202, USA.

Abstract

Advanced age is associated with decline in many areas of cognition as well as increased frequency of vascular disease. Well-described risk factors for vascular disease, such as diabetes and arterial hypertension, have been linked to cognitive deficits beyond those associated with aging.

To examine whether vascular health indices such as fasting blood glucose levels and arterial pulse pressure can predict subtle deficits in age-sensitive abilities, the authors studied 104 healthy adults (ages 18 to 78) without diagnoses of diabetes or hypertension.

Whereas results revealed a classic pattern of age-related differences in cognition, preprandial blood glucose level and pulse pressure independently and differentially affected cognitive performance. High-normal blood glucose levels were associated with decreased delayed associative memory (associative memory is directly applicable to chess, since solving a chess problem often relies on recognition of patterns stored in memory), reduced accuracy of working memory (working memory involves holding multiple pieces of information in mind and using it to solve a problem) processing among women, and slower working memory processing (directly related to how you manage your clock) among men. Elevated pulse pressure was associated with slower perceptual-motor processing.

Results suggest that blood glucose levels and pulse pressure may be sensitive indicators of cognitive status in healthy adults; however, longitudinal research is needed to determine whether such relatively mild elevations in this select group predict age-related cognitive declines.

PMID:19290746, NIH, NLM, PubMed access to MEDLINE

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that reduced cognitive capabilities as described in the study – delayed associative memory, reduced accuracy of working memory processing, and slower working memory processing -- affect chess performance. Elevated pulse pressure was associated with slower perceptual-motor processing (the ability to react to what one sees).

I don’t suggest that during an actual game having glucose levels at or below the reference range for healthy people (60-99 mg/dL – that’s milligrams per deciliter or if you are outside the U.S. 3.3-5.5 mmol – millimoles per liter). Rather: if you begin a game with healthy glucose levels in the 80s or 90s (mg/dl), your glucose levels may not soar when you play. High glucose may not only wreck your ability to play well, but it also increases your risk of many chronic diseases – cancer, diabetes, and heart, kidney, and Alzheimer’s disease and otherdementia. If you keep your glucose levels high much of the time, you may get to the point where you won’t be able to remember your own name, much less what variation to play. ( see Alzheimer’s Disease: Facts and Figures http://www.alz.org/downloads/facts_figures_2013.pdf).

When people compete in a chess game – stress hormones, such as adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol, are usually secreted. These hormones naturally raise glucose levels. For example, I know from testing: If I start a game with glucose in the 80 – 90 mg/dL range, it often rises to 110 or 120( 5.6-6.1mmol)while playing. This underscores why it is extremely unwise to consume glucose-raising food or drink prior to a game, because high glucose levels combined with and influx of epinephrine and cortisol will send glucose to dangerously high levels.

For more see:

High Glucose after meals is a Risk Factor

http://store.livingthecrway.com/news/40/High-Glucose-After-Meals-is-a-Risk-Factor.html

Benefits of calorie restriction Enhanced by Lower Glucose and Nitric oxide

Paul

Very interesting. That's an area which is often neglected by chess players. 

I've definitely had to deal with sudden tiredness at tournaments before.  Interesting you say stress can aggravate the problem.  I've taken to eating healthy at tournaments and it's definitely helped (fruit juice, salads, nuts).

That's fascinating.  Thanks, Paul!  

hmmm...maybe I shouldn't drink coke at chess tournaments then?

Good article, thanks!  Yes, soft drinks and all junk food in the long run are harmful for mental sharpness and overall health; but apparently the grandmasters with a few exceptions do not stay up with all the best nutritional facts, eating candy bars and soft drinks during games for "energy"; or maybe they take 5 hour energy or other cocktail of substances that are not usually so quickly available in health food....