Ensuring Research Tools Measure Brain Benefits from Nutrition that Consumers Actually Seek

Newswise — Washington D.C. – A new study links what consumers say they want in terms of brain benefits from foods, diets and nutrients with what can be measured given available research tools. The researchers asked how the tools available to measure effects of nutrition on cognitive health are aligned with what consumers are seeking.

The new paper, Alignment of Consumers’ Expected Brain Benefits from Food and Supplements with Measurable Cognitive Performance Tests, summarizes the consumers’ perspective gathered through a focus group approach by publishing a ‘taxonomy’ or collection of terms bridging the two. The paper was supported by IAFNS Cognitive Health Committee.

The ‘Consumer Taxonomy of Cognitive and Affective Health in Nutrition Research’ translates consumers’ ways of thinking about cognition and emotion to relevant cognitive tests.

Experts agreed that validated tests exist for some consumer-desired benefits like focused attention, sustained attention, episodic memory, energy levels, and anxiety. But other aspects of cognitive performance, such as prospective memory, ‘flow,’ and presence may require developing new tests or validating existing tests for detection of a nutrition effect. Validated methods will aid scientific substantiation of these and other consumer benefits from nutrition.

The research was based on two-steps: (1) qualitative consumer research using focus groups which documented the benefits consumers expected from nutritional products, how they articulate these benefits in their own words, and how they expect these benefits to play out in everyday life; and (2) consideration by an international expert panel as to whether current cognitive performance tools/tasks are able to detect the specific cognitive benefits articulated by consumers.

According to the paper, selective attention was often discussed during focus groups. Consumers were aiming to improve their ability to focus selectively on one task or stimuli in the presence of other distractions to complete daily tasks. For example, one individual stated:

“I can easily just get distracted. So, for me, brain performance, being able to stay focused and pay attention to what I'm doing, and not easily check my phone and get distracted with that [is important].”

The authors conclude that “science can be leveraged to better understand the relevance of cognitive assessment tools to everyday life, support the scientific substantiation of consumer benefits, and enhance understanding of what can be delivered by foods, diets, and nutrients in terms of cognitive health.”

According to Alyssa Ghirardelli of NORC at the University of Chicago, “We learned that consumers sometimes struggle to articulate the experiences they have when eating foods or taking supplements with the intent to improve brain health. However, we were able to gain important insights about these experiences, and match those perceptions with existing tests used by cognitive psychologists to study the effects of nutrition on brain functions. Connecting those tests with the benefits expressed by consumers helps to connect the science with real-life experiences, and helps us understand where we need to explore new ways to capture consumer experiences through experimental testing.”

The study is available here.

NORC: NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society. www.norc.org

The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) is committed to leading positive change across the food and beverage ecosystem. This paper was supported by IAFNS Cognitive Health Committee. IAFNS is a 501(c)(3) science-focused nonprofit uniquely positioned to mobilize government, industry and academia to drive, fund and lead actionable research. iafns.org