Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T18:36:13.010Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dietary intake and micronutrient status of adolescents: effect of vitamin and trace element supplementation on indices of status and performance in tests of verbal and non-verbal intelligence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2007

Susan Southon ,
A. J. A. Wright ,
P. M. Finglas ,
Angela L. Bailey ,
Julie M. Loughridge  and
A. D. Walker
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Relationships between micronutrient intake and status, and micronutrient status and performance in tests of intelligence were investigated in a group of adolescents (13–14 years old). Dietary intakes were assessed using a 7 d weighed dietary record method, coupled with the collection of duplicate diets. Vitamin and trace mineral intakes calculated using food composition tables were compared with those obtained by direct analysis of duplicate diets. Micronutrient status was judged via a range of biochemical indices measured in blood samples taken after a 12–15 h fast. Blood samples were taken both before and after a 16-week period of vitamin and trace mineral supplementation. Individual tests of verbal and nonverbal intelligence were also performed pre- and post-supplementation. The results of this study indicate that the use of food table data may lead to substantial over- or underestimation of the intake of several micronutrients. In general, the total calculated or analysed amount of a specific micronutrient consumed did not adequately predict status, as judged by a range of biochemical indices. There were significant changes in status measurements over the 16-week study period, irrespective of supplementation, and these changes were markedly influenced by the initial status of the subject. There was no effect of supplementation on performance in tests of intelligence. However, there was a significant association between plasma ascorbic acid and initial non-verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) in the boys, and between whole blood glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9) activity and non-verbal and verbal IQ in both sexes. These findings are discussed in relation to other recent studies of the influence of micronutrient supplementation on the psychological performance of children.

Keywords

Micronutrient supplementationNutrient statusIntelligenceAdolescents
Type
Micronutrient intake, status and tests of intelligence
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 71 , Issue 6 , June 1994 , pp. 897 - 918
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1994

References

Anderson, S. H. & Nicol, A. D. (1986). A fluorometric method for measurement of erythrocyte transketolase activity. Annals of Clinical Biochemistry 23, 180–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bailey, A. L. & Finglas, P. M. (1990). A normal phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of thiamin in blood and tissue samples. Journal of Micronutrient Analysis 7, 147–157.Google Scholar
Baines, M. (1985). Improved HPLC detection of thiamin diphosphate in erythrocytes. Clinica Chimica Acta 153, 43–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Behrens, W. A. & Madere, R. (1987). A highly sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method for the estimation of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid in tissues, biological fluids and foods. Analytical Biochemistry 165, 102–107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Benton, D. & Buts, J.-P. (1990). Vitamin/mineral supplementation and intelligence. Lancet 335, 1158–1160.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Benton, D. & Cook, R. (1991). The impact of selenium supplementation on mood. Biological Psychiatry 29, 1092–1098.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Benton, D. & Roberts, G. (1988). Effect of vitamin and mineral supplementation on intelligence of a sample of school children. Lancet i, 140–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bingham, S. A. (1987). The dietary assessment of individuals; methods, accuracy, new techniques and recommendations. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews (Series A ) 57, 705–742.Google Scholar
Black, A. E., Ravenscroft, C. & Sims, A. J. (1984). The NACNE report; are the dietary goals realistic? Comparisons with the dietary patterns of dieticians. Human Nutrition: Applied Nutrition 38A, 165–179.Google Scholar
Blinkhorn, S. (1991). A dose of vitamins and a pinch of salt. Nature 350, 13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brin, M. (1970). Transketolase (sedoheptulose-7-phosphate: D-glyceral-dehyde-3-phosphate dihydroxyacetone transferase, EC 2.2.1.1) and the TPP effect in assessing thiamin status. In Methods in Enzymology, vol. 18 (part A), pp. 125–133 [McCormick, D. B. and Wright, L. D., editors]. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Brubacher, G., Muller-Mulot, W. & Southgate, D. A. T. (editors) (1985). Vitamin B6, in foodstuffs: HPLC method. In Methods,for the Determination of Vitamins in Food, pp. 129–140. London: Elsevier Applied Sciences Publishers Ltd.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crombie, I. K., Todman, J., McNeill, G., Florey, C., du, V., Menzies, I. & Kennedy, R. A. (1990). Effect of vitamin and mineral supplementation on verbal and non-verbal reasoning of schoolchildren. Lancet 335, 744–747.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dallman, P. R., Siimes, M. A. & Stekel, A. (1980). Iron deficiency in infancy and childhood. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 33, 86–118.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Department of Health (1991). Dietary Reference Values,for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom.Report on Health and Social Subjects no. 41. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Social Security (1978). Prevention and Health; Eating for Health. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Social Security (1979). Recommended Daily Amounts of Food Energy and Nutrients for Groups of People in the United Kingdom. Report on Health and Social Subjects no. 15. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
De Souza, S. & Eitenmiller, R. (1990). Effects of different enzyme treatments on extraction of total folate from various foods prior to microbiological assay and radioassay. Journal of Micronutrient Analysis 7, 37–57.Google Scholar
Eysenck, H. J. (1991). IQ and vitamin supplements. Nature 351, 263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finglas, P. M., Bailey, A., Walker, A., Loughridge, J. L., Wright, A. J. A. & Southon, S. (1993). Vitamin C intake and plasma ascorbic acid concentration in adolescents. British Journal of Nutririon 69, 563–576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fisher, K. D. (1985). Expert Scientific Working Group: summary of a report on assessment of the iron nutritional status of the United States population. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 42, 1318–1330.Google Scholar
Floridi, A., Pupita, M., Palmerini, C. A., Fini, C. & Fidanza, A. A. (1984). TPP retention in whole blood and erythrocytes by HPLC. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research 54, 165–171.Google Scholar
Friedewald, W. T., Levy, R. I. & Fredrickson, D. S. (1972). Estimation of the concentration of the low density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma without use of the preparative ultra centrifuge. Clinical Chemistry 18, 499–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, R. S. (1990). Principles of Nutritional Assessment. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Herbert, V. (1966). Aseptic addition method for Lactobacillus casei assay of folate activity in human serum. Journal of Clinical Pathology 19, 12–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holland, B., Unwin, I. D. & Buss, D. H. (1988). Cereals and Cereal Products. Third Supplement to McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. Cambridge: RSC/MAFF.Google Scholar
Holland, B., Unwin, I. D. & Buss, D. H. (1989). Milk Products and Eggs. Fourth Supplement to McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. CambridgeRSC/MAFF.Google Scholar
Kwiatkowska, C. A., Finglas, P. M. & Faulks, R. M. (1989). The vitamin content of retail vegetables in the UK. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 2, 159–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lakshmaiah, N. & Ramasastri, B. V. (1980). Plasma folic acid conjugase. Methods in Enzymology 66, 670–679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lancet letters (1988 a). Vitamin/mineral supplementation and non-verbal intelligence. Lancet i, 407–409.Google Scholar
Lancet letters (1988b). Vitamins, minerals and IQ. Lancet ii, 744–745.Google Scholar
Miller, D. S. & Payne, P. R. (1959). A ballistic bomb calorimeter. British Journal of Nutrition 13, 501–508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naoi, M. & Ichinose, H. (1988). Sensitive assay for determination of pyridoxal-5-phosphate in enzymes using high-performance liquid chromatography after derivatization with cyanide. Journal of Chromatography 434, 209–214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Research Council (1980). Recommended Dietary Allowances, 9th ed. Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences.Google Scholar
Nelson, M., Naismith, D. J., Burley, V., Gatenby, S. & Geddes, N. (1990). Nutrient intakes, vitamin-mineral supplementation, and intelligence in British schoolchildren. British Journal of Nutrition 64, 13–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paglia, D. E. & Valentine, W. N. (1967). Studies on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 70, 158–169.Google Scholar
Paul, A. A. & Southgate, D. A. T. (1978). McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, 4th ed. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Phillips, D. R. & Wright, A. J. A. (1982). Studies on the response of Lactobacillus casei to different folate monoglutamates. British Journal of Nutrition 47, 183–189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, D. R. & Wright, A. J. A. (1983). Studies on the response of Lactobacillus casei to folate vitamin in foods. British Journal of Nutrition 49, 181–186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Polansky, M. M., Reynolds, R. D. & Vanderslice, J. T. (1985). Vitamin B,. In Methods of Vitamin Analysis, 4th ed., pp. 417–443 [Augustin, J., Klein, B.P., Becker, D. A. and Venugopal, P. B., editors]. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Powers, H. J., Bates, C. J., Prentice, A. M., Lamb, W. H., Jepson, M. & Bowman, H. (1983). The relative effectiveness of iron and iron with riboflavin in correcting microcytic anaemia in men and children in rural Gambia. Human Nutrition: Clinical Nutrition 37C, 413–425.Google Scholar
Schoenthaler, S. J., Amos, S. P., Doraz, W. E., Kelly, M. A. & Wakefield, J. Jr (1991 a). Controlled trial of vitamin-mineral supplementation on intelligence and brain function. Personality and Individual Drfferences 12, 343–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schoenthaler, S. J., Amos, S. P., Eysenck, H. J., Peritz, E. & Yudkin, J. (1991b). Controlled trial of vitamin-mineral supplementation: effects on intelligence and performance. Personality and Individual Differences 12, 351–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schrijver, J. (1991). Biochemical markers for micronutrient status and their interpretation. In Modern Lifestyles, Lower Energy Intake and Micronutrient Sfatus, pp. 55–85. [Pietrzik, K. editor]. London: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sinet, P.-M., Lejune, J. & Jerome, H. (1979). Trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome) glutathione peroxidase, hexose monophosphate shunt and IQ. Life Sciences 24 29–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southon, S., Fairweather-Tait, S. J. & Hazell, T. (1988). Trace element availability from the human diet. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 47, 27–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Southon, S., Wright, A. J. A., Finglas, P. M.. Bailey, A. L. & Belsten, J. L. (1992). Micronutrient intake and psychological performance of school children: consideration of the value of calculated nutrient intakes for the assessment of micronutrient status. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 51, 315–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tamura, T. (1990). Microbiological assay of folates. In Folic Acid Metubolism in Health and Disease pp. 121–137, [Picciano, M. F.Stokstad, E. L. R. and Gregory, J. F. III, editors]. New York: Wiley-Liss.Google Scholar
Tan, S. P., Wenlock, R. W. & Buss, D. H. (1985). Immigrant Foods. Second Supplement to McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Thomas, B. (1988). Manual of Dietetic Practice, pp. 44–49. London: Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
van der Westhuyzen, J., Steyn, N. P., Icke, G . C. & Davis, R. E. (1988). Thiamin intakes and erythrocyte thiamin levels in eleven-year-old children in the Western Cape. Tropical and Geographical Medicine 40, 218–222.Google ScholarPubMed
Warnock, L. G., Prudhomme, C. R. & Wagner, C. (1978). The determination of thiamin pyrophosphdte in blood and other tissues and its correlation with erythrocyte transketolase activity. Journal of Nutrition 108, 421–427.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whanger, P. D., Beilstein, M. A., Thomson, C. D., Robinson, M. F. & Howe, M. (1988). Blood selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity of populations in New Zealand, Oregon and South Dakota. FASEB Journal 2, 2996–3002.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Widhalm, K., Brubacher, G. & Christeller, S. (1986). Vitamin status of healthy adolescents 11 to 17 years old: data from a longitudinal study. Monatsschrift fur Kinderheilkunde 134, 408–414.Google ScholarPubMed
Wiles, S. J., Nettleton, P. A., Black, A. E. & Paul, A. A. (1980). The nutrient composition of some cooked dishes eaten in Britain: a supplementary food composition table. Journal of Human Nutrition 34, 189–223.Google Scholar