Sugar-sweetened coffee may be the best way to prepare the brain for a busy day ahead.

Caffeine and glucose are believed to have beneficial effects on cognitive performance. However, neural basis of these effects remain unknown.

To evaluate the effects of caffeine and glucose on sustained attention, researchers studied 40 young, healthy, low caffeine- consuming participants in Spain.

The participants received one of the following beverages: water; water plus 75 g of glucose; water plus 75 mg of caffeine; water plus 75 g of glucose and 75 mg of caffeine.

The participants then underwent two scanning MRI sessions (before and 30 minutes after having the beverage). A continuous performance test was used to assess sustained attention.

It was found that taking caffeine and sugar at the same time boosted the brain’s performance more than taking them on their own.

The two substances improve cognitive performance by increasing the efficiency of the two areas of the brain responsible for sustained attention and working memory.

The brain is more efficient under the combined effect of the two substances, since it needs fewer resources to produce the same level of performance than when volunteers took only caffeine, glucose or water, according to the researchers.

So, here is another reason for coffee drinkers to rejoice with the knowledge that sweetened coffee can help improving their brain’s attention and memory functions.