Assessment of cognitive functions in relation to nutrition status of medical students at Lahore Medical and Dental College

Background: Adequate nutrition plays a crucial role in human physical and mental growth. Proper diet and lifestyle has a constructive impact on the cognitive development and academic enactment of students. Objective: A comprehensive dietary assessment to describe dietary practices and evaluate students' nutritional level in relation to students' cognitive functioning by Mini-Mental State Examination. A cross-sectional study was conducted by using a food frequency questionnaire, Mini mental state examination and anthropometric measurements in department of Physiology, Lahore Medical & Dental College from May, 2022 to August, 2022. First year MBBS students (n=119) who fulfilled the inclusion- exclusion criteria were included in this study. All the participants were informed with the details of study procedure before taking written consent. Results: Among the study participants, 61.3% (n=73) were females and 38.7% (n=46) were males. 53.8 % students were hostilities where as 46.2%l were day scholar. Low protein intake was observed in majority of the students with very low consumption of legumes, eggs and red meat (mutton/beef). Mild cognitive impairment with MMSE score below 24 was found in 5.9% students while 94.1% students have no signs of cognitive impairment with MMSE score of 24-30. 32.9% of the students were underweight, 18.4%were overweight and 11% were obese. Conclusion: A comprehensive approach is required to monitor the nutrition of medical students as a way to recuperate health status and prevent nutritional deficiency diseases along with cognitive defects. There is an imperative need to encourage healthy food selections and lifestyle among medical students.