Two new studies from the University of Illinois have found children with higher lutein levels in the eye tend to do better than others on tests of cognition and academic achievement, even after accounting for other factors known to influence academic performance such as IQ, gender, body composition and physical fitness.
According to researchers, while previous studies have found associations between lutein and the preservation of cognitive function in aging, none thus far had looked at its role in cognition in children.
In the first study, published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology, researchers reportedly measured lutein levels in the eyes of 49 children aged 8 to 10, and recorded their brain activity using EEG while engaged in a challenging cognitive task. Researchers reportedly found a spike in brain activity, called a P3 potential, tended to be lower in children with higher lutein levels and those children tended to perform better on the task.
And in the second study, published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience, researchers reportedly found children with higher lutein levels did better on standardized academic test than those with lower levels. And the findings held true even when accounting for other factors known to contribute to better academic performance.
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Source: University of Illinois