An Overview on the Associations between Health Behaviors and Brain Health in Children and Adolescents with Special Reference to Diet Quality.

Sehrish Naveed,Timo Lakka,Eero A Haapala

doi:10.3390/ijerph17030953

Abstract

Unhealthy diet has been associated with overweight, obesity, increased cardiometabolic risk, and recently, to impaired cognition and academic performance. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the associations between health behaviors and cognition and academic achievement in children and adolescents under 18 years of age with a special reference to diet quality. Dietary patterns with a low consumption of fish, fruits, and vegetables, and high in fast food, sausages, and soft drinks have been linked to poor cognition and academic achievement. The studies on the associations between the high intake of saturated fat and red meat and low intake of fiber and high-fiber grain products with cognition are limited. The available evidence and physiological mechanisms suggest that diet may have direct, indirect, and synergistic effects on brain and cognition with physical activity, sedentary behaviors, cardiometabolic health, and sleep, but the associations have been modest. Therefore, integrating a healthy diet, physically active lifestyle, and adequate sleep may provide optimal circumstances for brain development and learning. We conclude that most of the existing literature is contained in cross-sectional studies, which therefore highlights the need for longitudinal and intervention studies on the effects of diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep on cognition and academic performance.

Highlights

Poor nutrition may impair rapidly developing brain and cognitive functions, and low quality diets may deteriorate the academic achievement of children [1]
We elaborate on the existing evidence on the possible effects of physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, and diet quality on cognition and the synergistic effects of these lifestyle-related factors on the developing brain and on cognition
The current review provides an elaborated overview of existing literature on the associations of health behaviors, including diet quality and dietary intakes, physical activity, sedentary activities, and sleep with brain structure and function, cognition, and academic achievement in children and adolescents under 18 years of age, with a special reference to diet quality

Summary

Introduction

Poor nutrition may impair rapidly developing brain and cognitive functions, and low quality diets may deteriorate the academic achievement of children [1]. Poor cognition and academic achievement in childhood have been linked to an increased risk of adulthood obesity, unemployment, and low socioeconomic positioning in adulthood, suggesting that it is important to identify possibilities to support brain development, cognition, and academic achievement in childhood [2,3,4]. Given that proper nutrition is important for brain development, cognition, and academic achievement, recent evidence concerning the dietary patterns of children is alarming. There is increasing evidence that children and adolescents grow physically inactive and spend most of their waking hours being sedentary [10].

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