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Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
Breakfast staple types affect brain gray matter volume and cognitive function in healthy children
Yasuyuki Taki1, Hiroshi Hashizume, Yuko Sassa
1Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. ytaki@idac.tohoku.ac.jp
Plos One
|December 21, 2010
Summary
Childhood breakfast staples like rice or bread impact brain structure and cognitive function. Rice consumption was linked to greater gray matter volume and higher IQ scores in children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Nutritional Science
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Childhood diet is crucial for brain development.
- Breakfast quality may influence cognitive function in children.
- Understanding the impact of specific breakfast foods on brain health is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between breakfast staple type (rice vs. bread) and brain structure (gray matter volume).
- To examine the association between breakfast staple type and cognitive function, specifically intelligence quotient (IQ).
- To analyze these relationships in a cohort of 290 healthy children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess brain structure.
- Categorized children into rice, bread, or both breakfast staple groups.
- Controlled for confounding factors including age, gender, socioeconomic status, and breakfast habits.
Main Results:
- The rice group exhibited a significantly higher gray matter ratio and larger regional gray matter volumes.
- The bread group showed significantly larger regional gray and white matter volumes in specific brain areas.
- Children in the rice group scored significantly higher on the perceptual organization index (POI), an IQ subcomponent.
Conclusions:
- Breakfast staple type influences brain gray and white matter volumes in children.
- Dietary choices at breakfast are associated with differences in cognitive function.
- Optimal nutrition, including breakfast composition, is vital for brain maturation during childhood and adolescence.
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