NUTRITION IN EARLY-LIFE AND THE FULFILLMENT OF INTELLECTUAL POTENTIAL

The effects of early supplementary feeding on cognition are investigat ed using data collected during two periods in four Guatemalan villages , The first was the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Pana ma (INCAP) longitudinal study from 1969 to 1977 and the second was a c ross-sectional follow-up of former participants carried out in 1988-19 89. The principal objective of these studies was to assess the differe ntial effect of two dietary supplements, Atole containing 163 kca1/682 kJ and 11.5 g protein per cup or 180 mL and Fresco containing 59 kcal /247 kJ and 9 g protein per cup, that were given to mothers, infants a nd young children, Performance was assessed on a battery of psychoeduc ational and information processing tests that were administered during adolescence. Consistent differences between groups were observed on p sychoeducational tests, Subjects receiving Atole scored significantly higher on tests of knowledge, numeracy, reading and vocabulary than th ose given Fresco, Atole ingestion also was associated with faster reac tion time in information processing tasks, In addition, there were sig nificant interactions between type of dietary supplement and socioecon omic status (SES) of subjects, In Atole villages, there were no differ ences in performance between subjects in the lowest and highest SES ca tegories. On the other hand, performance in Fresco villages was best i n the highest compared with the lowest SES group. After close scrutiny of alternative hypotheses, it is concluded that dietary changes produ ced by supplementation provide the strongest explanation for the test performance differences observed in the follow-up between subjects exp osed to Atole and those exposed to Fresco supplementation.