Extremes in blood glucose levels can lessen kids' mental functioning, a study of 61 elementary-school children found. The researchers tested the boys and girls' reaction time and ability to do simple math problems. For four to six weeks, the children completed three to five quizzes daily just before testing their blood glucose levels. Researchers found that when the kids had naturally occurring low blood glucose readings, below 54 mg/dl, it was associated with slowed reaction and problem completion times. More surprising to the researchers, kids took just as long to complete math problems when their blood glucose rose above 400 mg/dl.
Source: Diabetes Care, June 2009