Here’s a tip: If you have an important task to complete, consider laying off the big bacon-and-egg brunch. In a double-blind, randomized crossover trial, investigators at Ohio State University compared how 51 women performed on a computer test of sustained attention and concentration after (1) eating a breakfast high in saturated fat and (2) consuming the same meal made with unsaturated fat.

The scientists concluded that eating a breakfast high in saturated fat was associated with reductions in attention span in the hours that followed, compared with consuming a meal higher in unsaturated fat, as reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Though the study didn’t look at what was specifically going on in the brain after the fat trials, it may be that food high in saturated fat can drive up inflammation throughout the body and possibly in the brain. Fatty acids can also cross the blood-brain barrier, and certain ones may directly affect brain functioning, including our capacity for laser-like focus.

For those of us working from home, this means that ordering a fried chicken sandwich for lunch from Grubhub could make it even harder to concentrate!