Importance of Nutrition in the Development of a Child’s Brain

 Importance of Nutrition in the Development of a Child’s Brain

Introduction

In the development of a child, nutrition is regarded as one of the major three factors contributing to the development of children. Proper nutrition helps not only infants and children but also pregnant and lactating mothers. Nutrition experts, however, question the need for children to be subjected to different diets. The cognitive growth and development of children mostly depend on the provided nutrients from different diets, which will be investigated through various hypotheses involving the development of the mental and physical features of a child.

Literature Review

In the first 1000 days, they are fundamental in the development of children, which continues to their adulthood. The article by Schwarzenberg & Georgieff (2018) provides a quantitative analysis of the effects of introducing infants to 1000 days of proper nutrition. In this case, maternal mothers were introduced to nutrition methods through well-organized clinical trials. The purpose of clinical trials was to determine the influence of proper nutrition on the neurodevelopment of infants and children. The quantitative tools used in this analysis include numerical data. This includes data collected from macronutrients (glucose, fats, and proteins),

supplements (vitamins and minerals), and a supportive environment analyzing emotional stability and development. Handling of numerical data involved observing the macro-nutrients in terms of brain development, supplements’ effect on cognitive development of infants, and the supportive environment include observing any impact of stressors on maternal mothers as they diet.

Human studies and preclinical trials have provided increasing overwhelming evidence that proper nutrition is essential in foetal and an early neonatal period during the neurodevelopment process in an infant. In the article by Georgieff, Ramel & Cusick (2018), the process involved observing the functional and structural development of the brain. Also, there was an analysis of proper nutrition on children who are anemic but younger than three years. This is due to children developing early life deficiency caused by life-long dysfunction, Different neurobehavioral tools were assessed, and the consequence of iron treatment in children below three years. As such, cognitive function in infants is analyzed through the use of a meta-analysis that examined nutrient and brain interactions. Since different tools were incorporated in this study, handling them required expertise. Handling of the tools involved clinical trials where children were accessed based on their growth factors after being on a specific nutrition program. Neurotransmitter concentrations were also used to test how nutrients like zinc, copper, choline, and proteins affect metabolism in children.

According to Deoni et al., (2018), myelination is essential since it influences growth and cognition not only in young children but infants as well. The first quantitative data collected here involved the observation of myelination and its effects on brain connectivity and behavioral functioning. The authors describe myelination as the process that consists of the analysis of different cells and molecular signals in the brain. The tools used in this paper include children maps that showed the effect of myelination in infants no older than 60 months with similar tissue and image contrast. Other tools included in this analysis involve the mcDESPOT data that helped develop these child maps like MWF and SPGR images. The step by step analysis used by these tools is the mcDESPOT data tool used to create SPGR and MWF images. The maps were then enhanced through the Advanced Normalization Tools Software. The tools were used to measure the effect of nutrition on five bilateral regions (cerebellar WM, occipital, temporal, frontal, and parietal).

Parents with little income and few resources in low and middle-income countries also deserve to have their infants and children thrive. This is according to Vohr et al. (2017), who state that neurodevelopment is essential for the effective growth of children. The processes involved in gathering data involved analyzing interventions and hypotheses on the effect of proper nutrition on maternal mothers as well as the effect of stressors in an environment with infants and children. The tools used in this paper include interventions, hypotheses, and neurological assessments involving language development and responsiveness to the environment. The step by step process involves recording the stimulus reaction of infants and children in different environments. This is followed by forming a hypothesis on the neurological development of children exposed to different environments and diets. Clinical trials were also conducted on expectant mothers as well as those who recently gave birth.

There exist many factors that influence the dietary behavior of children. In this article by caglioni et al., (2018), the processes involved investigating the children’s preferences as well as their behaviors. Tools that were used in the investigation include electronic databases and screening programs that will help elaborate more on how nutrients affect cognitive growth in children. The tools were handled by pediatricians, who analyzed data based on different family settings. Early childhood education is essential as the nutrition that they are exposed to daily. A step by step analysis requires the intervention of a holistic approach to understanding health, nutrition, and safety (Sagala & Munawar, 2017).

Additionally, there are environmental approaches that are also investigated. Tools incorporated in this analysis include questionnaires and surveys that help comprehend the physical and mental state of children after different diets. The tools were handled by professionals that include teachers, guardians, and parents to record the needed results.

Conclusion

Subjecting children to different diets can be helpful and hazardous at the same time. As such, experts investigating the need for these strict diets on infants, their mothers, and children is imperative. As evidenced above, proper nutrition is a fundamental aspect of the cognitive development of children both physically and mentally.

 

 

References

Deoni, S., Dean III, D., Joelson, S., O’Regan, J., & Schneider, N. (2018). Early nutrition influences developmental myelination and cognition in infants and young children. Neuroimage, 178, 649-659. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.neuroimage.2017.12.056

Georgieff, M. K., Ramel, S. E., & Cusick, S. E. (2018). Nutritional influences on brain development. Acta Paediatrica, 107(8), 1310-1321. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.14287

Sagala, A. C. D. & Munawar, M. (2017). Analysis of Holistic Environmental Approach to Health, Nutrition, and Safety in Early Childhood Education. In International Conference of Early Childhood Education (ICECE 2017). Atlantis Press.

Scaglioni, S., De Cosmi, V., Ciappolino, V., Parazzini, F., Brambilla, P., & Agostoni, C. (2018). Factors influencing children’s eating behaviors. Nutrients, 10(6), 706. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu10060706

Schwarzenberg, S. J., & Georgieff, M. K. (2018). Advocacy for improving nutrition in the first 1000 days to support childhood development and adult health. Pediatrics, 141(2), e20173716.  https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3716

For, B. R., Davis, E. P., Wanke, C. A., & Krebs, N. F. (2017). Neurodevelopment: the impact of nutrition and inflammation during preconception and pregnancy in low-resource settings. Pediatrics, 139(Supplement 1), S38-S49.