Health and Nutrition Effects on CognitionMany questions have been asked in the world of the person wondering if exercise can actually help one experience a better life. People perceive exercise, nutrition, and medications as changes in the body, but most do not understand what changes are occurring. In this article, information will be provided so that people understand how exercise, nutrition, and medications can affect the body. Increased/decreased cognition in the womb. Many studies have been conducted over the years on how exercise, nutrition, drugs and alcohol can affect the fetus. According to the results of Canadian research conducted by the University of Montreal, babies born to more active mothers tend to develop their brains more quickly (Kirkey, 2013). The study was first carried out on rats and soon after on a group of pregnant women. According to Kirkey's (2013) article, the human study was conducted on 18 women during their second trimester, who were separated into an exercise group and a sedentary group. Out of 18, 10 women were selected to participate in an exercise program comprising 20 minutes of exercise three times a week at moderate intensity. The women had a few things in common, including their economic status, amount of exercise, and how they ate (Kirkey, 2013). This study continued until the babies were born and then tested. Between 8 and 12 days after the babies were born, the researchers placed an electrode cap on them to monitor neuron activity related to memory. Ellemberg said. “The brain response matched that of babies aged six to eight months” (Kirkey, 2013, p.1). The food mothers eat plays an important role in the child's development...... middle of paper ......mation. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120118/Kirkey, S. (2013). Exercise during pregnancy increases the brain capacity of the newborn for life: study from the University of Montreal. National Post. http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/11/11/exercise-during-pregnancy-boosts-a-newborn-babys-brain-capacity-for-life-university-of-montreal-study/ Effects of malnutrition (2013). Malnutrition has a devastating effect on a child's learning potential. Daily information. http://www.theinformationdaily.com/2013/05/28/malnutrition-has-devastating-effect-on-childs-learning-potential Matta, C. (2012). Can exercise make you smarter? Psychology Center. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/09/can-exercise-make-you-smarter/Reynolds, G. (2013). How exercise can help us learn. New York Times. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/how-exercise-can-help-us-learn/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0