Cited by 301Nutritional Studies and DietNutrition, Health and Food BehaviorChild Nutrition and Water Access

Effects of diet on behaviour and cognition in children

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Bellisle, France·2004·British Journal of Nutrition

Abstract

Diet can affect cognitive ability and behaviour in children and adolescents. Nutrient composition and meal pattern can exert immediate or long-term, beneficial or adverse effects. Beneficial effects mainly result from the correction of poor nutritional status. For example, thiamin treatment reverses aggressiveness in thiamin-deficient adolescents. Deleterious behavioural effects have been suggested; for example, sucrose and additives were once suspected to induce hyperactivity, but these effects have not been confirmed by rigorous investigations. In spite of potent biological mechanisms that protect brain activity from disruption, some cognitive functions appear sensitive to short-term variations of fuel (glucose) availability in certain brain areas. A glucose load, for example, acutely facilitates mental performance, particularly on demanding, long-duration tasks. The mechanism of this often described effect is not entirely clear. One aspect of diet that has elicited much research in young people is the intake/omission of breakfast. This has obvious relevance to school performance. While effects are inconsistent in well-nourished children, breakfast omission deteriorates mental performance in malnourished children. Even intelligence scores can be improved by micronutrient supplementation in children and adolescents with very poor dietary status. Overall, the literature suggests that good regular dietary habits are the best way to ensure optimal mental and behavioural performance at all times. Then, it remains controversial whether additional benefit can be gained from acute dietary manipulations. In contrast, children and adolescents with poor nutritional status are exposed to alterations of mental and/or behavioural functions that can be corrected, to a certain extent, by dietary measures.

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Crossref · 10.1079/bjn20041171

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Authors
Bellisle, F.
Affiliations
Hôtel-Dieu de Paris (FR)
Corresponding author
Bellisle, France
Venue
British Journal of Nutrition
Published
2004-10
Volume
92
Issue
S2
Pages
S227-S232
ISSN
  • 0007-1145 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-2662
OpenAlex
W2162689717
Cited by
301
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 16
FWCI
0.93
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • British Journal Of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Libraries (submittedVersion)
Funders
Danone
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
Keywords
diet, child behavior, cognitive function, nutritional status, thiamine deficiency, hyperactivity, sucrose, breakfast skipping, academic performance, intelligence, micronutrient supplementation, glucose availability, meal patterns, adolescents
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Psychology, Adolescent, Child, Child Behavior, Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, Psychology, Child, Cognition, Diet, Feeding Behavior, Food Additives, Glucose, Humans, Intelligence, Vitamins, Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena

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