Relationship of Physical Activity, Bone Healthy Food Pattern and Cognition in Schoolaged Children – CogniDROP

Question: Preservation of bones, protecting organs and enabling movement, is essential especially in aging population. Foundation of bone health is built during childhood, influenced by lifestyle factors such as nutrition and physical activity. Bone was recently found to not only build skeleton but also to control extra-skeletal organs, in parts mediated by Osteocalcin. Latest studies found Osteocalcin influencing cognitive development and performance. We sought to analyze the possible effect of increased physical activity and bone healthy food pattern on cognition in schoolchildren as a secondary question within the CogniDROP Study.

Methods: 74 5th and 6th graders (aged 11,3 ± 0,7 years) of an comprehensive school in Gelsenkirchen, Germany were included. About half of the pupils attended “sports classes” (SK) taking five or six hours of physical education a week instead of only three as “non-sports classes” (NSK) did. Parent-reported food-frequency questionnaires were obtained and summarized into a bone healthy eating score, reaching 73 points at most. Score favored foods correlating with high bone mass and neglected those that where correlated with low bone mass. Cognition was tested once via a computer-based task-battery in classes during lunch break. Four cognitive parameters were examined: working memory (2 back task), cognitive flexibility (switch task), visual-spatial memory (Corsi block tapping task) and inhibitory control (Flanker Task).

Results: 6th graders attending SK were significantly quicker in switch task’s number sequence then 6th graders in NSK ((SK: 45 s; NSK 50 s; p = 0,04). Achieved score points in nutritional score spanned between 40 and 59 points. Only boys in SK achieved a significantly higher score than boys attending NSK (SK: 51 Punkte; NSK: 48 Punkte; p = 0,04). Smaller rates of false reactions in 2 back task were seen when score was higher in all participants (p = 0,02). Whereas only NSK showed less reactions in no-go trials of Flanker task with higher score points (p = 0,03). Single parts of food-frequency questionnaire showed correlations within different groups of participants.

Discussion: Especially working memory seems to benefit from higher levels of physical activity and better bone healthy nutrition, while inhibitory control could advance through bone healthier nutrition in less physical active groups.

Conclusion: Certain cognitive areas could be influenced by physical activity and bone healthy food pattern. Future research is needed to identify actual changes in cognition through bone health influenced by nutrition and physical activity.

Funding: Funded by Uniscientia Foundation, Vaduz.

No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).