2023-04-20 11:00:03
Eating nuts on a regular basis could benefit the cognitive development of adolescents and contribute to their psychological maturation. These are some of the conclusions reached A study led from the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), in which ISGlobal and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) have collaborated.
Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 that plays a fundamental role in brain development, especially at this stage of life.
Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 that plays a key role in brain development
In the words of Jordi Julvez, principal investigator and coordinator of the NeuroÈpia Research Group of the IISPV, “adolescence is a time of great biological changes: a hormonal transformation takes place, which in turn is responsible for stimulating synaptic growth in the frontal lobe. This part of our brain is what enables neuropsychological maturation, that is, of the most complex emotional and cognitive capacities. Neurons well fed with this type of fatty acids will be able to grow and create new synapses, which will be stronger”.
At work, which has been published in the magazine eClinicalMedicine700 ESO students between the ages of 11 and 16 and from 12 institutes in Barcelona have participated voluntarily.
These have been randomly divided into two groups: one called control, in which no type of intervention has been carried out, and another, the experimental one, to which the research team of the project gave bags with 30 grams of peeled walnuts. indicating to the young people who participated in it that they could consume them daily in a period of 6 months.
700 ESO students between the ages of 11 and 16 from 12 institutes in Barcelona have participated voluntarily in the study
The research team has observed that adolescents who had consumed nuts for at least 100 days (not necessarily in a row) over this time saw an increase in their capacity of attentionand that those who presented some symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) significantly improved their behavior (in class they paid more attention to the teacher and were less hyperactive).
On the other hand, an increase in capacities related to what is known as the fluid intelligence that, in the words of Jordi Julvez, “is less influenced by learning; it is inherent to the biological state of the person. We have assessed it using increasingly complicated tests, through which adolescents had to discover what pattern a row of letters followed, for example”.
And he adds: “Overall, no significant differences were found in the intervention group in relation to the control group, but if the adherence factor is considered, then positive results are observed, since the participants who best adjusted to the guidelines -in terms of the recommended dose of walnuts and the number of days of consumption- did show improvements in the neuropsychological functions evaluated”.
Among the benefits, the researchers found an increase in abilities related to what is known as fluid intelligence.
The importance of a healthy diet
Thus, this study confirms that for adolescents to develop correctly at a cognitive and psychological level, it is just as important to follow a healthy diet as it is to maintain these habits over time and not abandon them.
“If boys and girls followed these recommendations and actually ate a handful of nuts a day, or at least 3 times a week, they would see many substantial improvements in cognitive abilities, and it would help them cope with the challenges that stage of life implies. adolescence and entering adulthood. Adolescence is a period of great brain development and complex behaviors that requires a significant amount of energy and nutrients,” he concludes. Ariadna Pinarfirst author of the article.
Soon, this same research team will carry out a study (this time it will be observational and will also have the support of the CWC) to determine if the consumption of nuts and dried fruits in general during the pregnancy It influences the cognitive development and psychological maturation of children.
This second piece of research will go one step further, as it aims to demonstrate that these aspects of growth can be enhanced already from the mother’s womb and from the first stage of childhood trying to follow good eating habits.
Reference:
Pinar-Martí A, et al. Effect of Walnut Consumption on Neuropsychological Development in Healthy Adolescents: A Multi-school Randomized Controlled Trial. eclinicalmedicine (2023)
Rights: Creative Commons.
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