The effects of micronutrient interventions on other domains were inconsistent .
Improvement in fluid intelligence among micronutrient-deficient children was consistently reported .
BACKGROUND & AIMS Micronutrients are essential for brain development with deficiencies in specific nutrients linked to impaired cognitive function .
Interventions are shown to be beneficial to children 's mental development , particularly in subjects who were micronutrient-deficient at baseline but results on healthy subjects remain inconsistent .
This systematic review evaluated the effect of micronutrient inventions on different cognitive domains .
Effect of a 12-mo micronutrient intervention on learning and memory in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children: 2 parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled studies in Australia and Indonesia.
BACKGROUND Little is known about the combined effect of micronutrients and essential fatty acids on cognitive function in school-aged children . OBJECTIVE We assessed the effect of micronutrients , long-chain n-3 fatty acids , or both on indicators of cognitive performance in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children . DESIGN Two 2-by-2 factorial r and omized controlled double-blind trials were performed home-based in Adelaide , South Australia , and at 6 primary schools in Jakarta , Indonesia . A total of 396 children ( aged 6 - 10 y ) in Australia and 384 children in Indonesia were r and omly allocated to receive a drink with a micronutrient mix ( iron , zinc , folate , and vitamins A , B-6 , B-12 , and C ) , with docosahexanoic acid ( DHA , 88 mg/d ) and eicosapentaenoic acid ( EPA , 22 mg/d ) , or with both or placebo 6 d/wk for 12 mo .  Biochemical indicators were determined at baseline and 12 mo . Cognitive performance was measured at baseline , 6 mo , and 12 mo . RESULTS The micronutrient treatment significantly improved plasma micronutrient concentrations in Australian and Indonesian children . DHA+EPA treatment increased plasma DHA and total plasma n-3 fatty acids in both countries . The micronutrient treatment result ed in significant increases in scores on tests representing verbal learning and memory in Australia ( estimated effect size : 0.23 ; 95 % CI : 0.01 , 0.46 ) . A similar effect was observed among Indonesian girls ( estimated effect size : 0.32 ; 95 % CI : -0.01 , 0.64 ) . No effects were found on tests measuring general intelligence or attention . No effects of DHA+EPA on the factors of cognitive tests were observed . CONCLUSION In well-nourished school-aged children , fortification with multiple micronutrients can result in improvements in verbal learning and memory
The effects of micronutrient interventions on other domains were inconsistent .
Improvement in fluid intelligence among micronutrient-deficient children was consistently reported .
BACKGROUND & AIMS Micronutrients are essential for brain development with deficiencies in specific nutrients linked to impaired cognitive function .
Interventions are shown to be beneficial to children 's mental development , particularly in subjects who were micronutrient-deficient at baseline but results on healthy subjects remain inconsistent .
This systematic review evaluated the effect of micronutrient inventions on different cognitive domains .