Abstract
Food insecurity (FI) has negative implications across the life course that include poor health outcomes among both children and adults. However, the behavioral mechanisms by which FI impacts health behaviors are not clear. By understanding how FI is related to cognitive function/brain structure across the life course, we can design more targeted interventions. A systematic literature review was performed by conducting comprehensive database searches in Google Scholar and PubMed. Inclusion criteria required studies to include measures of FI and cognitive function/brain structure in humans. Study sample, design, outcomes, and biases were extracted. In total, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Cognitive domains included general cognition (n = 13), executive function (n = 10), visuospatial abilities (n = 4), and verbal memory (n = 8). No studies examined brain structure. Most studies (88%) indicated significant inverse associations between FI and cognitive function across all stages of the life course, particularly for general cognition and executive function. Significant inverse associations were observed between FI and either general cognition or executive function among children (n = 3) and adults (n = 12). All studies considered confounding variables; however, given that all were observational, no causality can be inferred from the findings. These findings indicate that FI is related to lower cognitive function across the life course. Research should explore how changes in food security status impacts cognitive function and brain structure to develop optimal FI interventions and improve cognitive health.
Highlights
Food insecurity involves reduced quality, variety, or desirability of the diet, and can include disrupted eating patterns with reduced food intake [1]
Specified inclusion criteria consisted of human studies involving subjects that were either currently or previously experiencing a condition related to food insecurity, which could have consisted of food insufficiency, food shortage, and/or hunger
The findings from this review indicate that food insecurity status correlates with poorer cognitive function across the life course
Summary
Food insecurity involves reduced quality, variety, or desirability of the diet, and can include disrupted eating patterns with reduced food intake [1]. In 2019, 10.5% of households (13.7 million) in the U.S experienced food insecurity [2]. Food insecurity has negative implications across the life course that include negative outcomes among both children and adults [6]. Childhood food insecurity and hunger are linked to poor general health outcomes [7,8]. Food insecurity during childhood may include the onset of mental health struggles with anxiety [9], depression [10], and even suicide ideation [10]. Adults experiencing food insecurity and hunger tend to suffer poor health outcomes including heart disease [15], diabetes [16], obesity [15], hypertension [15,16], and sleep problems [17]. There has been a demonstrated bi-directional relationship between food insecurity and depression [9]
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