Mediterranean Diet Improves Academic Performance in Teens
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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

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