A scientific study by
the University Jaime I of Castellón (Spain) has shown that adolescents
who follow the Mediterranean Diet obtain greater academic performance
and has concluded that this association is also influenced by the quality of
sleep of the pubescent.
The research,
published in the journal Acta Paediatrica, has been carried out by a
research team belonging to LIFE Research Group of the Department of
Education of the University Jaime I of Castellón, led by Mireia
Adelantado-Renau.
The study proved that
the Mediterranean Diet, which includes frequent consumption of fruits,
vegetables, breads, legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as olive oil as the main
fat, has positive effects on the academic performance of adolescents. The
researchers found that this positive effect is facilitated by improvements in
sleep quality.
Adelantado-Renau and
his group evaluated the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean
Diet and academic performance, and whether the effect of diet on sleep
changed the academic performance of 269 adolescents (52% males) aged 13 on
average, who attended 38 secondary schools and sports clubs located in
Castellón, between February and May 2015.
Compliance with the Mediterranean
Diet was assessed by the Kidmed questionnaire; sleep quality was assessed
by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index test; and sleep duration was objectively
calculated using a wrist accelerometer. Finally, academic performance was
evaluated through final grades and a validated test.
Adolescents who met
the Mediterranean food pattern showed improvements in sleep quality, language
skills, core subjects, verbal ability and grade point averages.
A positive
association was observed in the research between the Mediterranean Diet
and sleep quality, as well as between this diet and final grades. As a
consequence, improvement in sleep quality and adherence to the Mediterranean
Diet was associated with better final grades.
According to the
study, the association between the Mediterranean Diet and academic
performance may be related to the key role that dietary patterns and nutrients
exert on the brain. The consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids, abundant in
olives, nuts and fish, increases the levels of neurotrophic factors derived
from the brain, which stimulate cognitive functioning. And this, in turn, can
improve academic performance.
Source: Mercacei