Navigation
Relationships between dietary intake and cognitive function in healthy Korean children and adolescents
In this 2017 study, Korean children and adolescents were tested on their cognitive function [assessing symbol digit modalities (SDMT), verbal memory, visual memory, shift attention, reasoning, and digit span], while their diets were also examined to discover how dietary consumption may affect cognitive ability. Considering standard deviation value, the girls’ reaction times were significantly shorter than that of the boys. Overall, the standard deviations in reaction times were positively associated with the consumption of snacks, rice, and chocolate, while increases in reaction times in general correlated with higher caffeine and snack intakes. Moreover, girls performed significantly better in terms of verbal memory and symbol digit modalities tests. Higher vitamin C, B1, and potassium intake was related with greater SDMT scores, while the eating of noodles was negatively associated with verbal memory, SDMT, shift attention, and reasoning test results. Furthermore, those participants who ate more fast food were more likely to perform worse in SDMT and reasoning tests. Drinking coca-cola was linked with poorer verbal performance also. However, mushroom intake showed positive correlation with visual memory and reasoning test results, while eating more nuts was connected with better SDMT results. While these results indicated a generally better relationship between dietary intake and cognitive function among the girls compared to the boys, the findings provide evidence that diet is strongly connected to cognitive function in healthy Korean children and adolescents. [NPID: cognition, Korea, verbal memory, visual memory, attention, reaction times, caffeine, snacks, vitamin C, vitamin B1, potassium, reasoning]
Year: 2017
