Healthier diet patterns tend to be associated with improved focus & attention relative to western-style diets rich in saturated fat and refined sugar. High intakes of fish and plant-based foods were associated with increased measures of attention among elderly people in one cross-sectional study.[1] Observational studies of children and young adults with ADHD have also found links between focus & attention ability and healthier diet patterns. Moreover, overall less-healthy diet patterns have been associated with decreased focus & attention in these age groups.
The effect of an unhealthy diet on focus and attention may also be acute, as suggested by one study that found consumption of a 5- or 7-day high-fat diet was sufficient to impair focus & attention in both healthy[2] and sedentary[3] adults. However, most of the evidence on the effect of diet on focus & attention tends to be observational in nature, and overall results have been mixed. More research is needed to determine whether there is a causal relationship between diet and focus & attention in different populations.
References
- ^Okubo H, Inagaki H, Gondo Y, Kamide K, Ikebe K, Masui Y, Arai Y, Ishizaki T, Sasaki S, Nakagawa T, Kabayama M, Sugimoto K, Rakugi H, Maeda Y,Association between dietary patterns and cognitive function among 70-year-old Japanese elderly: a cross-sectional analysis of the SONIC study.Nutr J.(2017-Sep-11)
- ^Holloway CJ, Cochlin LE, Emmanuel Y, Murray A, Codreanu I, Edwards LM, Szmigielski C, Tyler DJ, Knight NS, Saxby BK, Lambert B, Thompson C, Neubauer S, Clarke KA high-fat diet impairs cardiac high-energy phosphate metabolism and cognitive function in healthy human subjectsAm J Clin Nutr.(2011 Apr)
- ^Edwards LM, Murray AJ, Holloway CJ, Carter EE, Kemp GJ, Codreanu I, Brooker H, Tyler DJ, Robbins PA, Clarke KShort-term consumption of a high-fat diet impairs whole-body efficiency and cognitive function in sedentary menFASEB J.(2011 Mar)