LEARNING AND MEMORY: THE EFFECT OF NUTRITION ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

A remarkable increase in issues related to learning and memory is found and observed in many schoolchildren and also the elderly. The root of these problems might vary but nutritional intake could be one of the contributing factors. This paper aims to explore the effect of nutritional intake on brain development on learning and memory by reviewing literature within the past five years. We focused on literature related to cognitive function, learning, memory, and brain development. In relation to the current issue, research shows that fast food consumption is significantly related to neurocognitive processes, such as negatively affecting attention span for learning and memory retention which might also affect student's academic achievement. Therefore, future research can elaborate this issue by initiating longitudinal studies on Malaysian students and investigate this issue in a deeper context. Also, research should initiate a study that can assess and include other factors as well instead of just focusing on examining how people are affected by eating habits when it comes to fast food. Lastly, studies can be improved by mentioning interventions that can enhance attention span and memory ability impacted by fast food consumption. In addition, this paper has incorporated this topic and related it with the Islamic perspective.