RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPECIFIC
NUTRIENTS AND ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE
There are specific micro-nutrients
that have been associated with better
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPECIFIC
FOODS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Interestingly, studies have not just
found a positive association with
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY AND ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE
Physical activity is another very
important factor that affects academic
performance. Today, many mothers
with children as young as 10 years
old, feel that enrolling their children
in extracurricular activities will take
time away from their studies and
Children who do not eat an adequate
breakfast can also suffer from hunger
pangs while in school, headaches,
and stomach pains due to excessive
acid, etc. This, besides being a source
of distraction for children, can also
lead to absence from classes, which
in turn can affect academic performance
in school.
result in poorer academic results. On
the contrary, studies have shown that
students who are physically active,
perform better in school, compared to
children who are physically inactive.
These kids not only have better grades,
but also better attendance and fewer
absenteeism, better memory recall,
concentration during lessons and
lesser disciplinary problems. Physically
inactive children who gradually
increased their activity, showed
improved memory and cognitive
function than when they were
physically inactive.
Many similar studies carried out over
the years have reported that skipping
breakfast was associated with decreased
cognitive performance (e.g., alertness,
attention, memory, processing of
complex visual display, problem
solving, etc.) among the students.
A study done in Norway which looked
at 475 high school children, found that
those who ate breakfast regularly had
less difficulties in learning, especially
mathematics, besides improved reading
and writing. Another study carried out
in China on kindergarten students
found that kids who ate breakfast had
higher IQs (intelligent quotients). This
was independent of the education level
of the parents, or the family’s socio-
economic status.
breakfast consumption but also
between the quality of meals
and academic performance.
A study carried out in
Scotland
investigated
consumption
of
sugary drinks, sweets,
chocolates,
pizza,
savory snacks and hot
dogs with learning
abilities. The study
found that children who
had a higher consumption
of these foods had increased
mathematical difficulties as
compared to children who had
a more nutritious dietary intake.
Another study found that children who
ate healthier foods with a low glycemic
index had better attention span, word
recall and reaction time than children
who consumed food with a higher
glycemic index that lead to high blood
glucose levels soon after consumption
Sub-optimal intake of foods, such as
fruits, vegetables, and dairy products,
has also been associated with lower
grades among students.
performance in children, and most have
concluded that eating breakfast improves
cognitive functions like memory recall.
Volume 4 | Issue 1 | January-March 2019
17