Associations of dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes with cognition among children

Objective: To investigate the cross-sectional associations of dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes with cognition in mid-childhood. Design: Dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes were assessed using 4-d food records, and cognition was evaluated using the Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) score. The cross-sectional associations of dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes with cognition were investigated using linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, body fat percentage, household income, parental education and daily energy intake. Setting: The baseline examinations of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study. Participants: A population-based sa…

Diet quality and academic achievement : A prospective study among primary school children

Purpose Poor diet quality may impair academic achievement in children, but such evidence is limited. Therefore, we investigated the associations of healthy diet in Grade 1 assessed by Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS), and Finnish Children Healthy Eating Index (FCHEI) with academic achievement in Grades 1–3 in children. Methods The participants were 161 Finnish children who were 6–8 years old in Grade 1 and attended in a large ongoing physical activity and dietary intervention study. Dietary factors were assessed using 4-day food records, and MDS, BSDS, and FCHEI were calculated. Academic achievement was assessed by reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arit…

A 2 year physical activity and dietary intervention attenuates the increase in insulin resistance in a general population of children: the PANIC study.

Abstract Aims/hypothesis We studied for the first time the long-term effects of a combined physical activity and dietary intervention on insulin resistance and fasting plasma glucose in a general population of predominantly normal-weight children. Methods We carried out a 2 year non-randomised controlled trial in a population sample of 504 children aged 6–9 years at baseline. The children were allocated to a combined physical activity and dietary intervention group (306 children at baseline, 261 children at 2-year follow-up) or a control group (198 children, 177 children) without blinding. We measured fasting insulin and fasting glucose, calculated HOMA-IR, assessed physical activity and se…

The effects of a 2-year physical activity and dietary intervention on plasma lipid concentrations in children: the PANIC Study

Funder: Opetus- ja Kulttuuriministeriö; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003126

Mediating effects of motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour on the associations of adiposity and other cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement in children

We investigated the associations of cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement and whether motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, or sedentary behaviour mediated these associations. Altogether 175 children 6–8 years-of-age participated in the study. We assessed body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, leptin, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arithmetic skills were assessed using standardized tests. Speed/agility, balance, and manual dexterity test results were used to calculate moto…

The effects of a 2-year individualized and family-based lifestyle intervention on physical activity, sedentary behavior and diet in children

To investigate the effects of a long-term, individualized and family-based lifestyle intervention on physical activity, sedentary behavior and diet quality in children.We carried out a 2-year intervention study in a population sample of 506 children aged 6-8years in Finland in 2007-2012. We allocated the participants at baseline in the intervention and control group. We assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior by questionnaires and diet by food records.Total physical activity (+9min/d in intervention group vs. -5min/d in control group, p=0.001 for time*group interaction), unsupervised physical activity (+7min/d vs. -9min/d, p0.001) and organized sports (+8min/d vs. +3min/d, p=0.001…

Vähäinen fyysinen aktiivisuus ja runsas fyysinen passiivisuus ovat yhteydessä 6–8-vuotiaiden lasten ylipainoon

Lähtökohdat: Lasten pienempään ylipainon ja lihavuuden riskiin yhteydessä olevasta fyysisen aktiivisuuden määrästä ja kuormittavuudesta tiedetään verrattain vähän. Tavoitteenamme oli selvittää objektiivisesti mitatun fyysisen aktiivisuuden eri kuormittavuustasojen ja fyysisen passiivisuuden määrän yhteyksiä ikä- ja sukupuolivakioidun painoindeksin keskihajontapistemäärään (BMI-SDS) ja ylipainoisuuteen 6–8-vuotiailla suomalaisilla lapsilla. Menetelmät: Tutkimukseen osallistui 386 lasta. Fyysinen aktiivisuus ja fyysinen passiivisuus mitattiin liike- ja sykemittaukset yhdistävällä aktiivisuusmittarilla (Actiheart®, CamNtech Ltd., Papworth, Iso-Britannia). Fyysinen passiivisuus ja fyysisen akti…

Novel loci for childhood body mass index and shared heritability with adult cardiometabolic traits

The genetic background of childhood body mass index (BMI), and the extent to which the well-known associations of childhood BMI with adult diseases are explained by shared genetic factors, are largely unknown. We performed a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of BMI in 61,111 children aged between 2 and 10 years. Twenty-five independent loci reached genome-wide significance in the combined discovery and replication analyses. Two of these, located nearNEDD4LandSLC45A3, have not previously been reported in relation to either childhood or adult BMI. Positive genetic correlations of childhood BMI with birth weight and adult BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, diastolic blood pressure and type 2 d…

Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior with Academic Skills – A Follow-Up Study among Primary School Children

Background There are no prospective studies that would have compared the relationships of different types of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) with academic skills among children. We therefore investigated the associations of different types of PA and SB with reading and arithmetic skills in a follow-up study among children. Methods The participants were 186 children (107 boys, 79 girls, 6–8 yr) who were followed-up in Grades 1–3. PA and SB were assessed using a questionnaire in Grade 1. Reading fluency, reading comprehension and arithmetic skills were assessed using standardized tests at the end of Grades 1–3. Results Among all children more recess PA and more time spent i…

Peak oxygen uptake cut-points to identify children at increased cardiometabolic risk - The PANIC Study.

We aimed to develop cut -points for directly measured peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak ) to identify boys and girls at increased cardiometabolic risk using different scaling methods to control for body size and composition. Altogether 352 children (186 boys, 166 girls) aged 9 – 11 years were included in the analyses. We measured VO2peak directly during a maximal cycle ergometer exercise test and lean body mass (LM) by bioelectrical impedance. We computed a sex - and age -specific cardiometabolic risk score (CRS) by summing important cardiometabolic risk factors and defined increased cardiometabolic risk as >1 standard deviation above the mean of CRS. Receiver operating characteristics curves wer…

Associations of dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes with cognition among children

AbstractObjective:To investigate the cross-sectional associations of dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes with cognition in mid-childhood.Design:Dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes were assessed using 4-d food records, and cognition was evaluated using the Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) score. The cross-sectional associations of dietary carbohydrate and fatty acid intakes with cognition were investigated using linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, body fat percentage, household income, parental education and daily energy intake.Setting:The baseline examinations of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study.Participants:A population-based s…

Genome-wide associations for birth weight and correlations with adult disease

Birth weight (BW) has been shown to be influenced by both fetal and maternal factors and in observational studies is reproducibly associated with future risk of adult metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. These life-course associations have often been attributed to the impact of an adverse early life environment. Here, we performed a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of BW in 153,781 individuals, identifying 60 loci where fetal genotype was associated with BW (P < 5 × 10(-8)). Overall, approximately 15% of variance in BW was captured by assays of fetal genetic variation. Using genet…

The Effects of a 2-year Individualized and Family-based Lifestyle Intervention on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Diet in Children

Objective To investigate the effects of a long-term, individualized and family-based lifestyle intervention on physical activity, sedentary behavior and diet quality in children. Methods We carried out a 2-year intervention study in a population sample of 506 children aged 6–8 years in Finland in 2007–2012. We allocated the participants at baseline in the intervention and control group. We assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior by questionnaires and diet by food records. Results Total physical activity (+ 9 min/d in intervention group vs. − 5 min/d in control group, p = 0.001 for time*group interaction), unsupervised physical activity (+ 7 min/d vs. − 9 min/d, p < 0.001) and orga…

Associations of IGF-1 and Adrenal Androgens with Cognition in Childhood

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Background:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Little is known about the association between adrenarche and cognition in general populations of children. We therefore studied the associations of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione (A4), testosterone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and adrenarche with cognition among prepubertal children. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; These cross-sectional analyses are based on baseline data of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children Study. A total of 387 children (183 girls, 204 boys) were included in the analyses. Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) score was used to assess nonverbal reasoning.…

Associations of Motor and Cardiovascular Performance with Academic Skills in Children

HAAPALA, E. A., A.-M. POIKKEUS, T. TOMPURI, K. KUKKONEN-HARJULA, P. H. T. LEPPANEN, V. LINDI, and T. A. LAKKA. Associations of Motor and Cardiovascular Performance with Academic Skills in Children. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. ,V ol. 46, No. 5, pp. 1016-1024, 2014. Purpose: We investigated the associations of cardiovascular and motor performance in grade 1 with academic skills in grades 1-3. Methods: The participants were 6- to 8-yr-old children with complete data in grades 1-2 for 174 children and in grade 3 for 167 children. Maximal workload during exercise test was used as a measure of cardiovascular performance. The shuttle run test (SRT) time, the errors in balance test, and the number of c…

Mediating effects of motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour on the associations of adiposity and other cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement in children

We investigated the associations of cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement and whether motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, or sedentary behaviour mediated these associations. Altogether 175 children 6-8 years-of-age participated in the study. We assessed body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, leptin, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arithmetic skills were assessed using standardized tests. Speed/agility, balance, and manual dexterity test results were used to calculate moto…

40(th) EASD Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes : Munich, Germany, 5-9 September 2004

Plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids are directly associated with cognition in overweight children but not in normal weight children

Aim Polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential nutrients for the normal development of the brain. We investigated the associations between plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids and cognition in normal weight and overweight children. Methods The study recruited 386 normal weight children and 58 overweight children aged six to eight years and blood samples were drawn after a 12-hour fast. We assessed plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids using gas chromatography, cognition using Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, and overweight and obesity using the age-specific and sex-specific cut-offs from the International Obesity Task Force. The data were analysed by linear regression analyses adjusted for …

Adiposity, physical activity and neuromuscular performance in children

We investigated the associations of body fat percentage, objectively assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and different types of physical activity assessed by a questionnaire with neuromuscular performance. The participants were 404 children aged 6–8 years. Body fat percentage (BF%) was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and physical activity by combined heart rate and movement sensing and a questionnaire. The results of 50-metre shuttle run, 15-metre sprint run, hand grip strength, standing long jump, sit-up, modified flamingo balance, box and block, and sit-and-reach tests were used as measures of neuromuscular performance. Children who had a combination of…

Maternal and fetal genetic contribution to gestational weight gain

Background: Clinical recommendations to limit gestational weight gain (GWG) imply high GWG is causally related to adverse outcomes in mother or offspring, but GWG is the sum of several inter-related complex phenotypes (maternal fat deposition and vascular expansion, placenta, amniotic fluid and fetal growth). Understanding the genetic contribution to GWG could help clarify the potential effect of its different components on maternal and offspring health. Here we explore the genetic contribution to total, early and late GWG. Participants and methods: A genome-wide association study was used to identify maternal and fetal variants contributing to GWG in up to 10 543 mothers and 16 317 offspri…

Associations of Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time With Arterial Stiffness in Pre-Pubertal Children.

Purpose: To investigate the relationships of objectively measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) to arterial stiffness in pre-pubertal children. Method: Altogether 136 children (57 boys, 79 girls) aged 6–8-years participated in the study. Stiffness index (SI) was assessed by pulse contour analysis based on photoplethysmography. ST, light PA, moderate PA, and vigorous PA were assessed using combined acceleration and heart rate monitoring. We investigated the associations of ST (<1.5METs) and time spent in intensity level of PA above 2–7METs in min/d with SI using linear regression analysis. We studied the optimal duration and intensity of PA to identify children being in the …

Effect of a 2-y dietary and physical activity intervention on plasma fatty acid composition and estimated desaturase and elongase activities in children: the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children Study

Background: Evidence on the effects of lifestyle interventions on plasma fatty acid composition in children is limited. Objective: We investigated the effects of a dietary and physical activity intervention on plasma fatty acid composition of cholesteryl esters (CEs) and phospholipids and estimated desaturase and elongase activities in children. Design: We conducted a 2-y controlled dietary and physical activity intervention based on Finnish nutrition and physical activity recommendations in a population sample of 506 children aged 6–8 y. We assessed plasma fatty acid composition by gas chromatography and estimated desaturase and elongase activities as the ratio of product fatty acids to pr…