Nutritional Patterns and Executive Functioning among Young Adults: An Exploratory Study

This study aimed to investigate the role of dietary patterns on executive functioning among young adults. A purposive sample consisting of 400 participants with the distribution of 200 males and 200 female undergraduate students aged 19-24 years was selected from public universities in Lahore city, Pakistan. All participants were requested to fill out the demographic form along with the Food Preferences scale (FFQ) to measure food preferences, Adults Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI) to measure the executive functioning of young adults. Simple Regression analysis was run to predict Executive Functioning of young adults on their food preferences. Results revealed that healthy food preferences predict less impaired adults' executive functioning, including working memory and inhibition. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence that underscores the pivotal role of dietary choices, particularly the consumption of vegetables and the avoidance of unhealthy snacks, in shaping executive functions of young adults. These findings hold implications not only for individual health but also for public health policies aimed at promoting healthy aging and preventing cognitive disorders.