Impact of Beef and Beef Product Intake on Cognition in Children and Young Adults: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency have been consistently linked to cognitive impairment among children and young adults. As a primary source of dietary animal protein, beef consumption holds the potential to improve diet quality and positively influence cognitive function. This study systematically reviewed evidence linking beef intake to cognition among children and young adults. (2) Methods: A literature search was conducted in seven electronic bibliographic databases for studies assessing the impact of beef consumption on cognition. (3) Results: We identified eight studies reporting results from five unique interventions. Two interventions were conducted in Kenya, two in the U.S. and one in four countries including Guatemala, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Only one intervention employed a non-feeding control arm and found beef consumption to improve cognitive abilities compared to the control. However, the other interventions comparing beef consumption to other food types found no consistent result. (4) Conclusions: Evidence pertaining to the impact of beef consumption on cognition remains limited due to the small and heterogeneous set of studies. Future research should adopt a population representative sample and longer follow-up period, employ a non-feeding control arm and comprehensively measure nutrient intakes among study participants.