The Role of Nutrition in Cognitive Development

Abstract

Nutrients are critical for optimal brain development and function. Although maintenance of adequate intake of all nutrients throughout life is important for brain health and function, certain nutrients have a more profound effect on brain development than others. The timing of nutrient supplementation or deprivation also has an important effect on brain development and function. Nutrient intakes may vary widely; yet, for certain nutrients, there must be a steady flow across the blood–brain barrier to maintain brain development and functional homeostasis. Storage and subsequent mobilization of nutrients from body pools ensure that the brain receives neither too much nor too little of each nutrient.

This chapter reviews the evidence for the role of nutrition in brain development, concentrating especially on nutrients that are important in the development of cognitive function. A short review of nutrient categories is followed by a section on how individual nutrients directly and indirectly affect developing brain structure and function. A detailed analysis of the nutrients that most profoundly affect brain development ensues, with emphasis on the importance of the timing of nutrient deprivation or supplementation.