A Review of the Effects of Dietary Restriction, Dehydration, and Caffeine Withdrawal on Cognition: Implications for a Disabled Submarine Scenario

Abstract

In the event that submariners become trapped aboard a disabled submarine (DISSUB), they must perform a multitude of cognitively demanding tasks in order to maximize their likelihood of survival. During this time, submariners will also be forced to endure poor living conditions, including drastic changes to their nutrition. These nutritional changes have the potential to impair submariners’ cognitive functioning and affect operational performance, which could jeopardize survival; however, the effects of DISSUB nutrition on cognitive performance are not well understood. This review first describes the unique nutritional conditions that submariners will experience in a DISSUB scenario, including the change to a high-fat/low-calorie diet, restricted water availability, and cessation of caffeine consumption. The known effects of diet (including a high-fat diet and caloric restriction), dehydration, and caffeine withdrawal on cognition are then separately reviewed, with a discussion of how these effects may impact survivability in a DISSUB scenario.