As an elementary physical education teacher, I have witnessed firsthand in my career the effects of diet on student learning and behavior. I will admit, however that any effects I have noticed are anecdotal at best. In researching recent studies regarding brain function and cognitive development, I came across a very interesting editorial outlining a group of studies which examined effects of a Western diet—one rich in saturated fats and sugars—on learning, memory, and cognition. See the following link for the studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5437154/

According to the authors, brain regions essential to learning and memory underwent significant changes as a result of such a diet, especially in immature brains. Though much of the data yielding this conclusion was collected using experiments on rats, the results showed evidence of critical time points in human development during which the brain are especially sensitive to a diet high in saturated fats and sugars. Furthermore, the effects of such changes in an immature brain can have lasting effects on cognition, detrimentally reducing neuroplasticity, memory, and a host of other significant brain functions.

The good news is that while a poor diet can cause problems mentioned previously, there are a number of nutrients which if supplemented into one’s diet, can be protective against cognitive impairment. Protective nutrients noted in the study include vitamin C and vitamin B6, among others. This portion of the study revealed that having access to nutrients early in life is critical. For example, in an adult Chinese cohort of test subjects, those who experienced famine during childhood were strongly correlated with deficits in executive functioning in adulthood. Ultimately, the studies referenced in the editorial I found reinforced notions I have come across in my career, yet in the context of this course yielded the importance of nurture. Nurture—whether it be teaching, conditioning, or as here, physiological support—clearly has great implications to the human brain and can have lasting consequences on human cognitive development.