Abstract
There is an increasing prevalence of poor health behaviors during childhood, particularly in terms of physical activity and nutrition. This trend has occurred alongside a growing body of evidence linking these behaviors to cognitive function. B-vitamins are thought to be particularly important in the neural development that occurs during pregnancy, as well as in healthy cognitive aging. However, much less is known regarding the role of B-vitamins during childhood. Given that preadolescent childhood is a critical period for cognitive development, this study investigated the relationship between specific aspects of nutrition, particularly B-vitamins, and related health factors (e.g., body mass, fitness) on selective attention in children. Children (n = 85; 8–11 years) completed a selective attention task to assess inhibition. Participant’s dietary intake was collected using the Automated Self-Administered 24-h dietary assessment tool. Correlations between specific nutrients, BMI, fitness, and task performance were investigated. After accounting for demographic variables and total caloric intake, increased B-vitamin intake (i.e., thiamin and folic acid) was associated with shorter reaction times (p’s < 0.05), fitness was associated with greater response accuracy (p < 0.05), and increased BMI was related to increased variability in reaction times (p < 0.05). Together, these findings suggest that aspects of health may have unique contributions on cognitive performance. Proper physical health and nutrition are imperative for effective cognitive functioning in preadolescent children. Targeted efforts aimed at health education amongst this population could ensure proper cognitive development during school-age years, providing a strong foundation throughout life.
Highlights
Numerous factors are important for optimal child development, in particular proper nutrition and physical activity
* ∆R2 is significant at p < 0.05; † ∆R2 is marginally significant at p = 0.06. This investigation assessed the independent effects of B-vitamin intake, aerobic fitness, and BMI using a cognitive task that manipulated inhibitory control demands
The findings from the current study complement previous research within the field via examination of behavioral outcomes in response to a selective attention task in preadolescent children in relation to a variety of health factors, including nutrition, aerobic fitness, and body composition. The merging of these health factors affords a unique opportunity to examine the specific, nuanced roles of each. These findings provide evidence that greater intake of folic acid and thiamin, higher aerobic fitness, and lower BMI during childhood is associated with greater response accuracy, shorter reaction time (RT), and less response variability during performance of an inhibitory control task that requires selective attention
Summary
Numerous factors are important for optimal child development, in particular proper nutrition and physical activity. After accounting for important variables such as age and IQ, increased dietary fiber intake is associated with greater accuracy on an attentional inhibition task These findings suggest that during childhood, diet quality influences performance on challenging cognitive tasks [38]. One laboratory-based cognitive task that has been used to examine obesity, physical activity, and nutrition on cognition is an inhibitory control task known as the flanker task. The current study examined the independent roles of fitness, obesity, and B-vitamins in a well characterized group of children to better understand the specific role of each factor on inhibitory control. It was hypothesized that healthier behaviors, including increased fitness, decreased BMI, and increased B-vitamins, would relate to better performance on a task of inhibitory control, in the most challenging task conditions
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