Table 3. Physician perception of the impact of specific nutrients on the brain and cognitive development.
| Impact of nutrients | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Total respondents | 994 | |
| More than one nutrient affects cognitive development | ||
| Strongly agree | 391 (39.8) | |
| Agree | 461 (46.9) | |
| Neutral | 90 (9.2) | |
| Disagree | 40 (4.1) | |
| Not reported | 12 | |
| Nutrient important for brain development and cognition* | ||
| LCPUFAs | 569 (57.8) | |
| Iron | 681 (69.2) | |
| Folate | 410 (41.7) | |
| Choline | 253 (25.7) | |
| Lutein | 220 (22.4) | |
| Iodine | 330 (33.5) | |
| Not reported | 10 | |
| Preventing iron deficiency will help maintain normal brain development* | ||
| Strongly agree | 389 (39.5) | |
| Agree | 453 (45.9) | |
| Neutral | 107 (10.9) | |
| Disagree | 37 (3.8) | |
| Not reported | 8 | |
| Preventing iron, zinc, and iodine deficiency will improve global Intelligence quotient* | ||
| Strongly agree | 475 (49.3) | |
| Agree | 406 (41.3) | |
| Neutral | 79 (8.0) | |
| Disagree | 23 (2.3) | |
| Not reported | 11 | |
| Nutrient triads supporting mental development | ||
| Calcium-phosphorus-magnesium | 149 (15.3) | |
| Choline-lutein-DHA | 358 (36.8) | |
| Iron-vitamin D-zinc | 391 (40.1) | |
| Nucleotides-vitamin A-α-lactalbumin | 76 (7.8) | |
| Not reported | 20 | |
Values are presented as number (%).
LCPUFA: long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, DHA: docosahexaenoic acid.
*Respondents could select multiple options.