UND study: Fatty diet makes for sharper pilots

Running a marathon, grab a carbohydrate bar. Lifting weights, gulp a protein shake. But climbing into a fighter jet? Try butter-soaked lobster.

That was the surprising finding of a new military-funded study that sought to figure out what types of foods were best for pilots if missions restricted when and what they could eat.

University of North Dakota researchers tested student pilots and found that those who ate the fattiest foods had the quickest response times in mental tests. They also made fewer mistakes when flying in tricky conditions.

Those on a high-carbohydrate diet came in a close second and high-protein dieters were third.

Follow-up tests will begin this spring to determine how elements in the food and other factors affected the results.