Early Childhood Nutrition and Cognitive Functioning in Childhood and Adolescence

Background: The Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) Longitudinal Study provides a unique opportunity to examine the role of nutrition in cognitive functioning over time, controlling for other sociocultural factors.

Objective: This article describes results of analyses carried out in the INCAP Longitudinal Study on relationships between early childhood nutritional status and supplementation with concurrent and subsequent cognitive development in childhood and adolescence/young adulthood.

Methods: Articles were chosen for review that addressed this topic from the original and 1988 follow-up studies; 41 articles were reviewed and key results summarized for relationships between early nutrition and cognition in infancy, early childhood, and adolescence/young adulthood.

Results: Overall, results suggest strong relationships between indicators of a child's early nutritional status and motor and cognitive development in infancy and through the preschool years, continuing into adolescence/young adulthood, particularly for males. Nutritional supplementation during gestation through 2 years of age was associated with improvements in motor development and small, but consistent improvements in cognitive development during infancy and preschool years, with similar results of greater magnitude found with cognitive functioning in adolescence and young adulthood. Findings remain strong after controlling for various sociocultural factors (eg, socioeconomic status [SES]) and schooling. Among adolescents, significant interactions were found with SES and years of school attained; differences in performance favored Atole over Fresco children, with greatest differences for participants of low SES and those with higher levels of schooling.

Conclusions: Results support the need for programs to address unmet nutritional requirements among at-risk mothers and children and potential beneficial effects for human cognitive development.