The Effect Of Diet On The Mental Performance Of Children

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The Effect Of Diet On The Mental Performance Of Children The

Nutrimenthe FP7 Project Investigates

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105011.php

A team of leading International Scientists from top Academic Centres

and Food & Biotechnology Multinational Companies, providing a

critical mass of experts in the " Effect of Diet on the Mental

Performance of Children " are meeting in Granada to kick start the

Nutrimenthe project and participate in the Early Nutrition

Programming International Symposium (22/23 April 2008).

20 Multidisciplinary Research Centres (paediatricians,

neurophysiologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists) from eight European

countries and the USA collaborate in the NUTRIMENTHE Project, a Large-

scale Integrating Collaborative Project of the 7th European Framework

Programme from the Theme " Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and

Biotechnologies " THEME 2[FP7-KBBE-2007-2-2-01], Grant nº 212652, and

entitled " The effect of Diet on the Mental Performance of Children " .

This Project will offer the opportunity to advance knowledge about

how early nutrition will impact on later mental performance and

behaviour, from almost 120,000 children throughout the EU.

The Kick-off Meeting for this Project will take place in Granada on

the 22nd April, the day before the International Symposium on Early

Nutrition Programming 23rd April (http://www.enasymposium2008.org /

http://www.metabolic-programming.org) at the School of Medicine of

the University of Granada.

There is evidence that early nutrition can influence later mental

performance, cognitive development and behaviour. The idea that the

diet of mothers, infants and children could have an influence on long-

term mental performance has major implications for public health

practice and policy development, as well as for food product

development and economic progress. NUTRIMENTHE will significantly

improve this knowledge through studying the role, mechanisms, risks

and benefits of specific nutrients and food components to respond to

specific needs and improve the mental development of children.

The research will include quantification of the nutrient effects of

early programming on later cognitive and mental disorders, and

effects of food on mental state and mental performance such as mood,

activation, attention, motivation, effort, perception, memory and

intelligence and the effects of food on mental illness. NUTRIMENTHE

will develop epidemiologic studies to analyse the long-term effects

of pre- & early postnatal diet on children's mental performance &

illness; and randomised clinical intervention trials with specific

nutrients initiated during pregnancy, infancy & childhood. This

project intends to generate more knowledge about the quantitative

requirements of n-3 LC-PUFAs in children with restricted diet, and

quantitative assessment of the interaction between nutrition &

genetic variation with respect to mental performance. One of the more

important aims of the project is to develop an appropriate standard

neuropsychological battery to improve a comparable methodology for

cognitive assessment in EU children. The links between diet and

mental development, the influence on consumer behaviour and the

impact upon public health of improving mental function through

specific nutrients will be studied by the project research team.

NUTRIMENTHE will also address the key issues in mental health in

European children where diet could play a role, for example, the

project will asses the effects on cognition/cognitive development

(perception, memory, intelligence etc.), anxiety/stress, Attention

Deficit Hyper Activity (ADHD), depression and other related areas.

These disorders currently have a significant cost impact on European

Society through increased childcare costs and treatment.

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