Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
09:36
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Associations Between Nutritional Status, Cognitive Performance, and Surrogate Metabolic Profiles in School-Aged
Jessica Jazmín Gordillo-Castañeda1, Karen Sinaí Xicotencatl-Quintero1, Eunice D Farfán-García2
1Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n, Mexico City 11340, Mexico.
Nutrients
|July 15, 2026
Summary
Childhood malnutrition, including underweight and obesity, impacts metabolic health and cognitive function. Children with normal weight performed better on cognitive tests than those with underweight or obesity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Metabolic Health
- Neurodevelopment
Background:
- Childhood malnutrition (underweight and obesity) presents global health challenges.
- It may negatively affect neurodevelopment and metabolic health.
- Early identification of risks is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the links between nutritional status, metabolic markers, and cognitive abilities in school-aged children.
- To explore the utility of surrogate metabolic indices in assessing these relationships.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 100 children (6-12 years) in Mexico.
- Nutritional status assessed by BMI (underweight, normal, overweight, obesity).
- Metabolic biomarkers and indices (TyG, TG/HDL, TyG-BMI) measured; cognitive function assessed using WISC-IV.
Main Results:
- Obese children had higher triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL-C, and elevated metabolic indices (TyG, TG/HDL, TyG-BMI) but lower HDL-C.
- Normal weight children showed superior processing speed (PSI) compared to underweight and obese groups.
- Metabolic indices negatively correlated with PSI in unadjusted analyses.
Conclusions:
- Nutritional extremes (underweight, obesity) are linked to metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular risk.
- These extremes also correlate with poorer performance in specific cognitive areas.
- Surrogate metabolic indices effectively reflect neurocognitive profiles.
