Healthy Diet, Hydration and Supplements can Boost Your Child's Brain Health

Nutrition, hydration, and supplements may influence brain function and academic performance in kids, reports a new study.

Eating well, drinking enough water and taking certain supplements have all been shown to positively affect brain function in adults. Less is known about how these factors affect children. At Nutrition 2019, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, researchers announce new findings on the ways nutrition influences how children think, learn and behave.

Brain Food
It is a myth that the brain quits generating new cells once you reach adulthood. They are regenerating all the time.

‘Why is eating healthy important for kids? Following healthy eating habits, drinking enough water, and taking certain supplements can boost your child’s brain health and academic performance.’
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Eating Habits Linked to Academic Performance

Junk Food Associated with Poorer Academic Achievement

An analysis of more than 850 elementary school children found those who reported higher consumption of snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages scored lower on standardized academic tests, on average, than children who consumed less of these foods. While unhealthful diets were not linked to lower cognitive test scores, the findings suggest policies to improve children's diets could help kids do better in school, researchers say. Rachel Bleiweiss-Sande, Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, will present this research in the Baltimore Convention Center.

Water Matters: Why You Need to Drink Enough Water Everyday
Water is essential to balance body fluids, boost brain function, improve digestion, prevent kidney stones, regulate body temperature, and control cholesterol. The required water intake for adult men and women is 3.7 and 2.7 liters per day.

Hydration Associated with Better Brain Functioning

Epidemiological data suggests many children in the United States do not drink enough water. In a new study, researchers found children with greater habitual hydration performed better during tasks requiring cognitive flexibility. In addition, children showed improvements in their hydration levels and working memory after consuming a higher amount of water--2.5 liters daily--than when instructed to drink just half a liter per day, suggesting increasing water intake can help improve both hydration and cognitive function. Naiman A. Khan, University of Illinois, will present this research in the Baltimore Convention Center.

Win Over Exam Stress with a Healthy Diet
A healthy diet during exams helps reduce stress, provides energy, power to perform well, boost memory and prevents fatigue and mood swings.

Supplements Boost Brain Function

Micronutrient Powder Aids Babies' Development in Rural India

Foods to Improve Memory Power | Memory Boosting Foods
Eating healthy nutritious foods can help improve memory power and prevent brain-related illness. Eat foods that have numerous health benefits for keeping your brain healthy.

Undernutrition, prevalent among young children worldwide, can harm children's development. In a randomized controlled trial conducted in 26 Indian villages, infants who received a multiple micronutrient powder, an early learning intervention, or both showed significant improvements in expressive language, visual reception, and social-emotional behavior compared with those receiving a placebo. The findings suggest these interventions can help babies' brain development in communities facing nutritional deficiency and a lack of early learning opportunities. Kristen M. Hurley, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will present this research in the Baltimore Convention Center.

Caffeine and L-theanine May Help Children with ADHD

Caffeine and L-theanine, substances found in tea leaves, are known to improve sustained attention in healthy adults. In a new study examining the effects of these substances in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), researchers found five boys with ADHD showed better sustained attention, improved cognitive performance and decreased impulsivity when taking caffeine and L-theanine supplements together compared to a placebo. However, impulsivity increased when either substance was administered alone. Chanaka N. Kahathuduwa, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, will present this research in the Baltimore Convention Center.

Source-Eurekalert