Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Appetite. 2019 Aug 1;139:197-212. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.04.013. Epub 2019 Apr 20.
Despite increasing evidence that childhood obesity may be related to impairments in executive function, the evidence supporting the relation between executive function (EF) and dietary intake, a key factor linked to obesity, is mixed. Although research from the obesity literature often interprets EF as a factor that may influence dietary intake, there is also evidence that dietary intake may influence EF. Drawing on a developmental perspective, this systematic review examines the literature on the link between executive function (i.e., inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) and dietary intake in youth through the inclusion of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention studies aimed at altering either dietary intake or EF as a way to influence the other. In total, 5650 studies were screened for eligibility. Twenty-six studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Results indicated that the relation between executive function and dietary intake is equivocal. Although there is some support for a cross-sectional relation between executive function and dietary intake, the lack of longitudinal studies makes it difficult to make conclusions about directionality. Findings from intervention studies do not support the effectiveness of short-term manipulations on dietary intake to change subsequent EF, and few intervention studies exist that explicitly aim to "train" EF to change subsequent dietary intake. Furthermore, the wide variety of measures used to assess EF and dietary intake, and the lack of consideration of the role that weight status may play in the relation between EF and dietary intake, make overall interpretation of the literature more difficult. In sum, there is a need for more prospective research examining a variety of ages, domains of EF, and weight statuses, taking into account developmental factors.
尽管越来越多的证据表明儿童肥胖可能与执行功能障碍有关，但支持执行功能 (EF) 与饮食摄入之间关系的证据却参差不齐。虽然肥胖症文献中的研究通常将 EF 解释为可能影响饮食摄入的因素，但也有证据表明饮食摄入可能影响 EF。本系统综述从发展的角度出发，通过纳入旨在改变饮食摄入或 EF 的横断面、纵向和干预研究，考察了青少年执行功能（即抑制、工作记忆和认知灵活性）与饮食摄入之间的关系。总共筛选了 5650 项研究以确定其是否符合入选标准。26 项研究符合纳入标准，并被纳入综述。结果表明，执行功能与饮食摄入之间的关系尚无定论。虽然有一些证据支持执行功能与饮食摄入之间的横断面关系，但缺乏纵向研究，使得难以对其方向性做出结论。干预研究的结果并不支持通过短期饮食摄入干预来改变随后的 EF 的有效性，并且很少有明确旨在“训练”EF 以改变随后的饮食摄入的干预研究。此外，用于评估 EF 和饮食摄入的各种措施差异很大，并且没有考虑体重状况在 EF 和饮食摄入之间关系中的作用，这使得对文献的整体解释更加困难。总之，需要更多的前瞻性研究来考察各种年龄、EF 领域和体重状况，并考虑到发展因素。
