Whole-blood fatty acids are associated with executive function in Tanzanian children aged 4–6 years: a cross-sectional study
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
Essential fatty acids (EFA) are PUFA that are metabolised to long-chain PUFA and are important for brain development and cognitive function.
The objective of this study was to determine the association between whole-blood EFA and cognitive function in Tanzanian children. A total of
325 2–6-year-old children attempted the dimensional change card sort (DCCS) tasks to assess executive function. Blood samples were
collected for fatty acid (FA) analysis by GC. Associations between executive function and FA levels were assessed by regression. Among the
130 4–6-year-old children who attempted the DCCS tasks, whole-blood levels of linoleic acid were positively associated with executive
function, whereas whole-blood levels of α-linolenic acid and nervonic acid were inversely associated with executive function. A full model
including all twenty-five FA explained 38% of the variation in executive function, whereas a reduced model including only the EFA
(α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid), DHA and EPA explained 25% of the variation in executive function. Children who had sufficient
whole-blood levels of EFA were 3·8 times more likely to successfully complete all DCCS tasks compared with children with insufficient EFA.
These results suggest that whole-blood FA levels are associated with cognitive abilities. Intervention trials that include assessment of wholeblood
FA levels are required to determine the relationships between intake, blood levels and executive function in Tanzanian children.
Description
British Journal of Nutrition (2016), 116, pp.1537–1545
Keywords
Cognition, Executive function, Fatty acids, Lipids, Essential fatty acids, Brain development, Tanzania