The Effects of Dietary Choices on Cognitive Functioning of College Students

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Principal Investigator: Mishell Quiridumbay, North Dakota State University
Introduction
The idea of healthy living has gain vast popularity in society as more facts have become
available to the general public via lifestyle magazines and social media outlets. Healthy living
has been attributed to living longer and being less susceptible to illnesses or diseases (Jaccoma,
2015). Previous studies have been conducted to identify the effect of dietary choices in adults
and developing children, but there is little research that focuses on the dietary choices made by
college students. A healthy lifestyle is highly crucial in college students because of the strenuous
workload and high energy levels needed to be successful. While high energy levels are needed to
keep up with the fast-paced college life, due to the lack of time, many students often find
themselves eating less meals or premade meals that lack nutritional value (Jaccoma, 2015).
Unhealthy eating and an overall unhealthy lifestyle in college can therefore lead to less energy
and motivation to perform optimally in school. Our proposed research will study how unhealthy
eating, decreased levels of school performance, and overall cognitive function are correlated.
Participants will take a survey regarding food choices, overall academic performance in college,
and subjective ratings of self-cognition. Cognition will be measured on the basis of self-reported
memory acquisition and fast-pace thinking ratings. Results will then be analyzed and interpreted
to understand the relationship, if any, between dietary choices and brain function.
Background
The brain is composed of more than 1 billion neurons that through electrical activity send
signals all over the body to produce thought, movement, speech, and much more. Without the
brain, the existence of a personality would not be possible. At birth, an individual is born with
the majority of neurons they will have for the rest of their lives. These neurons either form
connections with other neurons and muscles, or if unused, degrade to give space and strength to
the connectivity of other neurons (Pinel, 2011). Neuronal connectivity depends on the unique
genetic programming and experiences of each person and is therefore highly varied (Pinel,
2011). Even within a single person, neuronal connections can weaken or strengthen based on
genetic and environmental factors. The concept of change in neuron connectivity is known as
neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is highly active in early childhood and development years, as the
brain starts to mature. Around the ages of 25-30, the opportunity to change or reroute neural
connections is uncommon, but not impossible. Since neuroplasticity is based on how one
interacts with their environments, this means all experiences a person has changes the way the
brain functions (Draganski et. al, 2004). Experiences are anything and everything a person does,
including ones dietary preferences and choices.
Cognition and cognitive function are commonly studied topics in neuroscience on the
basis of aging and early childhood development. With aging, the interest is to identify what
factors cause or make a decline in cognitive function more pronounced. Cognitive aging is not an
abnormal occurrence. As we mature, we lose the ability to rapidly form new connections because

neurons start to degenerate and connections vanish, as a way to conserve energy levels (Pinel,
2011). Since the decline in cognition due to aging is varied among the population, research has
sought to understand what causes these variations in the rate and extent of cognitive aging. Many
conclusions have lead to the understanding that dietary choices may be partially responsible for
this decline. In 1997, researchers found that normally aging individuals who took vitamins, as a
method to obtain all necessary daily nutrients performed better in difficult visual-spatial tests
compared to those who did not take vitamins (La Rue et. al, 1997). It is not about a specific
nutrient being consumed, but it is about consuming all nutrients in the appropriate amounts, that
promote healthy cognitive function. On the other hand, researchers have also wanted to
understand how dietary choices influence brain development during early years. Previous
research has found that the influence of dietary choices starts even when a baby is in the womb.
If the gestational environment is poor, which occurs when the mother has a poor diet or
unhealthy habits, some babies are born with a smaller head circumference, which has been
correlated with lower IQs and learning difficulties (Ivanovic et. al, 2003). Furthermore, babies
who were breastfed during the critical development time, the first year of life, have been found to
have more docosahexaenoic acid in their cerebral cortex, a molecule associated with learning and
intellectual development (Gordon, 1997).
Animal experiments have further emphasized the importance of eating well-balanced
meals. Researchers from the University of Toronto found that diets high in fatty foods cause
mice to become insulin resistant and performed lower in cognition test over the control mice
(Greenwoord & Winocur, 2005). The researches also found that a decline in cognition lead to
dementia years later. This is a concerning problem in the American population because high fat
and sugary diets are highly common. The Western Diet, a term coined to describe the eating
habits of the Western culture has also been found to decrease the size and activity of the
hippocampus (Molteni et. al, 2002). The hippocampus is an important structure that deals with
memory acquisition and spatial navigation (Pinel, 2011). Apart from a malfunctioning
hippocampal structure, the western diet also makes the brain more prone to inflammation, an
immune defense used to fight of foreign entities in the body (Pistell et al, 2010). Too much
inflammation can lead to excessive pressure in the skull, which can then led to cognitive
impairment. If the body were obtaining all the nutrients needed to fight of foreign bodies,
encephalitis would be less prominent (Pistell et. al, 2010). Overall, there is clear evidence that
dietary choices affects how the brain functions. Bad dietary choices can lead to decreased
cognitive function, while consuming all the needed nutrients prevents the brain from acquiring
illnesses.
The relationship between nutrition and cognitive function from an academic perspective
has been researched, but only in elementary through high school students. Similar to the effects
nutrition has on cognitive aging and early brain development during the critical period, the way
an individual eats, highly affects how they perform in school. According to a study from 2005,
eating breakfast every day has been associated with better recall and short-term memory
(Rampersaud, 2005). The ability to recall information is highly important in school because most
exams require students to remember facts, formulas, or concepts. In another study concerning
cognitive function and nutrition, the effects of malnutrition in early development was shown to
affect the academic performance of students in high school (Ivanovic, 2000). The gap in the
research lies in students who are in college. Research exists evaluating how an overall poor

lifestyle, full of stress, alcohol, excessive screen time, and tobacco use, affects academic
performances and GPAs, but very little exists to show exactly how dietary choices specifically
influence academic performance (University of Minnesota, 2008) One study, from Oregon State
University in 2015 found that diets high in fat and sugar affect bacteria in the stomach associated
with cognitive flexibility, the ability to change ones thoughts (Magnusson, 2015). It is
significant to study students in college because apart from the stress academics puts on them, the
lack of money also affects the way they eat. From first hand experience as a college student, it is
cheaper to by fast food, boxed food, and frozen meals over vegetables and meat products.
Poverty in college is also a problem, because poverty has been associated with impaired
cognitive abilities. In 2013, researchers found that poverty impedes the ability to think abstractly
and promotes lower attention spans because individuals are constantly worried about finances
and making ends meet (Mani et. al, 2013). Due to the many factors influencing the way college
students eat, it is important to study how these choices may affect academic performance as a
way to help future generations of college students succeed.
Methodology
Participants
A total of 50 participants will complete the proposed task. Participants will be recruited
from North Dakota State University and the surrounding Fargo, ND area. Participants must be in
enrolled in any college and between the ages of 18-25. Both genders are welcomed to participate
in the study, but gender will not be recorded, as it is not a variable for this study. The survey will
be advertised through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and the NDSUs
Announcements email server list. Those who are interested in participating will follow the link
provided, complete the survey, and will be thanked for their time. There will be no compensation
offered for the completion of the task.
Task
Participants will be asked to complete a 10-question, multiple-choice survey on Survey
Monkey. A survey was chosen as the method of data collection because it is easy, straight to the
point, and can be accessed at anytime. The survey will be made available to the public for 15
days, starting March 10, 2016 through March 25, 2016 (More details in Timeline Section). The
content of the survey will be split into two categories of questions. The first set of questions will
ask the participants about their dietary choices and energy levels. Questions will be developed
using information from the Choose My Plate government website (My Plate on Campus, 2015).
The second set of questions, will ask the participants about their college career and cognitive
function, based on grade-point average, on a 4.0 scale, and subjective opinions about their
general cognition. General cognition for the purposes of our proposed research is defined as
memory retention and the ability to improvise, think on ones feet.
Data Analysis
After the data-collecting period finishes, the survey data will be analyzed using Microsoft
Excel 2013. An averaging of each answer to every individual question (10 questions total) will
found, in order to determine what the most popular answers were. The answers for each of the 10
questions receiving the highest average will undergo further analysis to determine correlations
between questions. Correlation graphs will be created, with corresponding p-values and r2 value,

which are mathematical computations that test for significance level. The researchers will
interpret significant and somewhat significant correlations in an attempt to reach a conclusion. It
is important to remember that correlation does not equal causation, but significant findings will
show a possible relationship exists between cognitive function and dietary choices.
Complications
Pursing this research topic can lead to certain ethical implications and conflicts, as
college campuses are highly diverse. There are students from all over the world, who eat
different foods and overall have different beliefs regarding dietary choices. The questions
regarding dietary choices may not apply to everyone due to differences in culture. In addition,
healthy eating can be subjective. One individual may think their food choices are fine, while
another way disagree. It is important to be very specific when conducting the research and
writing the survey questions, in order to prevent any confusion or misunderstandings that can
lead to skewed results.
Events Timeline

Research Timeline of Events

3/5/16
Submit Group Proposal
Create Survey

4/4/16

1
1

Collect Data
Data Analysis
Work on Progress
Report (days)
DUARNATION
Progress Report Due
Work on Research Report
Submit First Draft of Research Report
Make Final Adjustments to Report
Submit Final Research Report
Prepare for Showcase Event
Showcase on Student Writing
Present Research Reports

5/4/16

15
10
5

START DATE
1
13
1
6
1
2
1
1

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