Association Between Dairy Intake and Executive Function in Chinese Children Aged 6–12 Years

Abstract

Association between dairy intake and executive function remains controversial, especially among children, a population with fast-developing executive functions. This study aimed to explore this topic. Additionally, we further distinguished the role of dairy intake types (full- or low-fat milk or yogurt) in this relationship. This survey included 5,138 children aged 6–12 years. Dairy intakes were assessed by validated questionnaires. Executive function was measured by the behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF; Parent Version), and lower T-scores of BRIEF indices indicated superior executive function performance. Results showed that children with higher dairy intake had statistically better performance in Shift (46.58 ± 7.48 vs. 45.85 ± 7.10), Initiate (48.02 ± 8.58 vs. 47.14 ± 8.33), and Working Memory (50.69 ± 8.82 vs. 49.89 ± 8.73). In the analysis of multivariate linear regression, we found that for every one unit increase in full-fat dairy intake, T-scores for Shift (β = −0.350 (95% confidence interval [CI]: (−0.660, −0.039) and Initiate (β = −0.486 (95% CI: (−0.845, −0.127) were decreased and for every one unit increase in low-fat dairy intake, T-score for Organizations of Materials (β = −0.940 (95% CI: (−1.690, −0.189) was decreased. After distinguishing dairy into milk and yogurt, we observed that only milk intake, not yogurt, was significantly associated with better executive function performance in Shift (β = −0.390 (95% CI (−0.745, −0.035) and Initiate (β = −0.509 (95% CI (−0.917, −0.101) after adjusting for potential confounding factors. This study shows that a higher intake of dairy, irrespective of fat content, is related to better executive function performance among children aged 6–12. In addition, a significantly positive relationship between dairy intake and executive function’s indices of Shift and Initiate only was observed in milk, not in yogurt.

Association between breakfast patterns and executive function among adolescents in Shanghai, China

“…Fluid milk was identified as the primary breakfast item across all three breakfast patterns in the study population. They had better executive performance compared to those who skipped the breakfast, which is consistent with several studies ( 14 , 26 , 40 ). An observational study in Chile reported that adolescents who consumed dairy for breakfast showed higher cognitive performance ( 14 ).…”

“…An observational study in Chile reported that adolescents who consumed dairy for breakfast showed higher cognitive performance ( 14 ). One study from China found that a high dairy intake was related to better executive function performance compared to low intake among children aged 6–12 ( 26 ). An interventional study of overweight and obese adults indicated that a high dairy diet has the potential to improve working memory ( 40 ).…”

“…In the current study, we used Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Form to evaluate adolescents’ executive function in the past 6 months. This questionnaire offers an ecological assessment of executive function behaviors in the home environments of children aged 5 to 18 years, which is widely used in epidemiological studies ( 25 , 26 ). The Chinese version of BRIEF demonstrates high internal consistency, with a reliable test–retest of 0.68–0.89, internal consistency of 0.74–0.96, and internal consistency of 0.74–0.96 ( 27 ).…”