Jean Piaget defines cognitive functioning "as a progressive reorganization of mental processes as a result of biological maturation and environmental experience." Children constitute an idea of the world around them, and then experience disparities between what they already know and what they explore in their environment. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "Cognition can be defined as the ability to use simple-to-complex information to meet the challenges of daily living." Cognitive function deals with those human skills such as memory, attention, perception, action, problem solving and mental imagery that are significant to adaptive efficacy. These functions emerge early in life and continue to develop through adolescence and adulthood before the decline in old age.
Adequate brain function is fundamental for efficient cognition and the attainment of discreet behavior. Indeed, the uninterrupted activity of the brain is vital for the survival of the organism since it ensures the continuous performance of many essential voluntary and involuntary functions. It is therefore essential that the brain is protected from even short-term disruptions of its efficient working conditions.
According to the British Journal of Nutrition, "Diet can affect cognitive ability and behavior in children and adolescents. Nutrient composition and meal pattern can exert immediate or long-term, beneficial or adverse effects. Children and adolescents with poor nutritional status are exposed to alterations of mental and/or behavioral functions that can be corrected, to a certain extent, by dietary measures. Nutrient composition and meal pattern can exert immediate or long-term, beneï¬cial or adverse effects. Beneï¬cial effects mainly result from the correction of poor dietary intake status. Deleterious behavioral effects have been suggested; for example, sucrose and additives were once suspected to induce hyperactivity, but these effects have not been conï¬rmed by rigorous investigations. One aspect of diet that has elicited much research in young people is the intake or omission of breakfast. This has obvious relevance to school performance. While effects are inconsistent in well-nourished children, breakfast omission deteriorates mental performance in malnourished children. Even intelligence scores can be improved by micronutrient supplementation in children and adolescents with very poor dietary status. Overall, the literature suggests that good regular dietary habits are the best way to ensure optimal mental and behavioral performance at all times. Encouraging the intake of a varied diet that includes numerous foods of good nutritional content, according to a sound meal pattern (with regular intake of a hearty breakfast and perhaps nutritionally valuable snacks), seems the optimal strategy to make sure that young people will have the best possible behavioral and cognitive functioning" as quoted by the British Journal of Nutrition. On the contrary, the study also states that it is not accurately possible to boost cognitive functions or behavioral modifications through intense dietary interventions in children whose nutritional value is an outcome of sound dietary patterns, that is, dietary interventions, only to a certain extent, can have a crucial effect on various mental, social and physical adaptations.
According to National Institute of Nutrition, "formulation of dietary goals and specific guidelines would ensure nutritional adequacy of populations. The dietary guidelines could be directly applied for general population or specific physiological or high risk groups to derive health benefits. They may also be used by medical and health personnel, nutritionists and dietitians. The guidelines are consistent with the goals set in national policies on Agriculture, Health and Nutrition."
Cognitive development is a term that illustrates human perception, thinking, memory, attention and learning in general. Nutritional value, genetics, and environment are three major factors that have an impact on the cognitive development of an organism. Since there are quite a few factors that impact learning and cognitive functioning, scientists cannot say, "If you eat this, you will be smarter." However, the role of a proper nutritional status in child development and learning is important. Dietary intake during the early childhood years is linked to better performance, both in physical and mental aspects, in present as well as in later life. There are many research studies which lay emphasis on the relationships between breakfast and learning in school-going children; other researchers identified the importance of dietary intake at earlier ages - before birth with the dietary intake and nutritional status of the mother. Various research studies also indicate that under-dietary intake can have adverse effects on brain development during pregnancy and the early childhood which may be permanent and irreversible; also, major importance is given to the relationship between breast-feeding and higher IQ and cognitive development in children. A proper dietary intake can lead to fewer cases and less severe cases of diarrhea, ear infections, skin rashes, and bacterial meningitis, thereby increasing immunity to various harmful and infectious diseases. Many nutritionists have indicated that a deficiency in iron and iodine during the early childhood, to a great extent, correlates with behavior changes and elapsed psychomotor development. Childhood obesity is likely to shorten life and be a major cause for various cardiovascular diseases.
Professor Sally Grantham McGregor has done a number of correlation studies between various nutrient content and their effect on child development, one of which states that early childhood malnutrition can have a negative effect on the IQ levels, cognitive function, school achievement and higher behavioral issues than compared to siblings, in their school-age. The drawbacks continue at least until early youth. But there is no steady evidence of a definite cognitive deficit.
There are billions of neurons present in the brain that "talk" to one another with the help of various chemical neurotransmitters which pass on signals through neural channels. Dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are the key chemical agents that help these neurons communicate with one another. Various research studies indicate that food compounds and a healthy dietary intake contribute significantly to the connections of the nerve cells and boost these key chemical agents. In a study published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, certain evidence suggests that flavonoids may possibly improve memory and cognitive ability. "Because of their interaction with signaling pathways in the brain, flavonoids seem to have the ability to protect, enhance and stimulate brain neurons responsible for both short-term and long-term memory" (Gomez-Pinilla, Fernando, November 17, 2009). Various nutrients and chemical compounds have a wide range of effect on the cognitive development in children and also can cause impairment in the cognitive functioning in children. The interactions between micronutrients and macronutrients that might be influential in the optimization of cognitive development is considered as a topic of future research. It has been a heated topic that dietary intake deficiencies, and if proper dietary intake interventions are not performed on children at the right age, can also be a cause of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Dyslexia in children. In researching the dietary intake-brain connection, new technologies are being used, such as those that take images of the brain or actually count individual brain cells. Behavioral tests that measure motor and cognitive skills-or lack thereof-are also providing insights. Yet the science of dietary intake and brain function is relatively new and evolving.
India is the highest among various countries of the world where children are undernourished. This study aims to investigate if a healthy dietary intake can have an effect on the cognitive functioning in children. The interaction between dietary intakes, physical and mental performance and physiological parameters are an area of research that is receiving ever increasing attention. A proper dietary intake can help one to keep the mind stimulated, thereby increasing concentration power. Certain food items help to develop and boost energy and mental abilities. It is important for parents and teachers to know and understand the importance of proper food intake and thereby induce healthy eating habits in children and help them avoid junk food. In case of confusion, parents can consult and discuss a pediatrician or a nutritionist who can give them specific information about the nutritional requirements for a healthy growth. It is essential that the food we eat consist of all adequate nutrients required for physical, mental development and health, and also for the maintenance of normal body function.
