Which part of your body get its energy fill first?

When Your Body Needs Nourishment, Your Brain Eats First

Even if you're a generous person who believes in sharing, helping the needy and spreading wealth, your brain is a selfish glutton.

Sometimes your body will find itself in a real pickle: Both your brain and your muscles need to work hard, but you just can't handle running both systems at once. New research published today (Oct. 20) in the journal Scientific Reports lends support to the idea that the brain chooses to prioritize itself. The findings show that in this type of situation, a person's cognitive performance will suffer far less than their physical output.

"This is important because our ancestors made the transition from 'soldier to diplomat,'" said study researcher Daniel Longman, a biological anthropologist from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. "We began to invest fewer resources in developing and maintaining high levels of muscularity, and instead began to achieve status through the development of enhanced social manipulation skills," he told Live Science.

Longman told Live Science he was drawn to this sort of research after an attempt to row the Atlantic Ocean at age 22. After working himself into a state of shock during the endeavor where he could neither eat nor sleep, Longman said he was astonished at how quickly his mind sharpened and his body recovered after managing small snacks and naps in between rowing sessions. Now, he focuses his research on understanding evolutionary theory, particularly how humans respond to stress, through the lens of sports. Read more...

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