Randomized Trial of the Effect of Daily Beef or Vegetable Protein on Visual Cognitive Performance Training in Young Adult Females

Visual cognitive performance (VCP) is an important factor in high-speed interactions with the environment such as sports or driving, however, the testing, training and determination of factors that influence this ability are scarce. The purpose of the Nutrition, Vision and Cognition in Sport Studies (IONSport) is to determine the nutritional factors that explain large variance in VCP and training responses. The objective of this study is to determine if daily beef or vegetable protein consumption affect VCP training responses. Thirty-seven women (age 18–35 years) were randomized to either one serving of beef (90% lean ground sirloin, 3 oz) or one serving of vegetable protein (Morningstar prime veggie burgers, 3 oz) per day for 30 days. These foods were equivalent in serving size, calories, protein and fat but distinct in micronutrients. At the end of the dietary intervention, they performed 15 visual cognitive training sessions (Neurotracker) in 10 visits to the laboratory. On the days of training, all food intake was documented for 18 days (Three prior to starting, five from day zero to 15 and 10 from day 15–30). Mean nutritional intakes were calculated for the 15 days of food records during the intervention. Both groups significantly (P < 0.001) improved VCP from baseline (1.33 ± 0.33) to the end of training (1.62 ± 0.32), however, the improvement in the beef group was significantly higher (beef Δ = 0.36, veggie Δ = 0.19). These results suggest that 30 days of daily beef intake is associated with better improvements in VCP as compared to a vegetable protein source. National Cattleman’s Beef Association.