MIND diet pattern is associated with attentional control in school-aged children

The MIND diet, which blends elements of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, promotes foods believed to support brain health and has been linked to reduced cognitive decline in older adults. However, its effects on childhood cognitive function have not been previously explored. This study by Keye et al. (2025) investigated the relationship between adherence to the MIND diet and attentional inhibition in children, compared with the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020). The authors hypothesized that both diet measures would be associated with attentional inhibition, but the MIND diet would show a stronger relationship. Eighty-five children (average age 9.6 years, 44 girls) completed 7-day diet records to determine their HEI-2020 and MIND scores and participated in a modified Eriksen flanker task to assess attentional control. Results showed that the MIND diet was significantly associated with better performance on both congruent and incongruent task trials, explaining 6% of the variance in accuracy. In contrast, the authors did not observe a significant relationship between HEI-2020 scores and task performance. These findings suggest that adherence to the MIND diet may support attentional inhibition, even in children, highlighting the need for future interventions to inform dietary recommendations that promote cognitive development early in life. [NPID: Cognition, children, MIND, dietary patterns, HEI-2020]

Year: 2025

Reference: Keye, S. A., Holthaus, T. A., Cannavale, C. N., Rosok, L. M., Lamblin, E., Renzi-Hammond, L., Holscher, H. D., & Khan, N. A. (2025). MIND diet pattern Is associated with attentional control in school-aged children. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 9(2), 184–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-025-00318-4

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