Dietary Intervention in Infancy and Cognitive Function in Young Adulthood: The Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project

Abstract

Consumption of saturated fatty acids (SAFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), cholesterol, and fiber have been linked with cognitive function in adults. We evaluated these associations from childhood by leveraging data from the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP). STRIP recruited children aged 5months and randomly assigned them into intervention/control groups. The intervention introduced a heart-healthy diet, characterized mainly by low consumption of SAFAs and cholesterol, through counseling at least biannually between age 7months and 20years. Diet was assessed repeatedly using food diaries. Sixyears after the end of the intervention phase, at age 26years, the participants were invited to the first postintervention follow-up, which included cognitive testing that covered learning and memory, verbal memory, short-term working memory, reaction time, information processing, and cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control. We studied the associations of the STRIP intervention and the consumptions of SAFAs, PUFAs, cholesterol, and fiber within these cognitive domains. Participants in the STRIP intervention group had better cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control and were better able to manage conflicting information and ignore task-irrelevant information (0.18 SD higher in the intervention group, adjusted for sex and socioeconomic status). No associations were observed with the dietary components studied. The infancy-onset STRIP intervention, which promoted a heart-healthy diet, was favorably associated with cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control at age 26years. No associations were found for the intervention targets studied, indicating that these specific dietary components did not underlie the observed effect of the intervention.