Dietary Intake, Levels of Trace Elements and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Among Huffaz Students from Selected Tahfiz Schools in Selangor

Abstract

Tahfiz education has been well accepted by Muslims in Malaysia. Memorizing the Quran through rote learning can assist in improving the brain ability to process, store information and build memory. In addition, dietary intakes were reported to contribute in the process of memorizing the Quran and to increase the levels of intelligence (IQ) among huffaz students. This cross-sectional study was conducted to measure and to determine the correlation between IQ and dietary intake as well as between IQ and the level of trace elements among students in selected tahfiz schools and non-tahfiz school in Selangor. Questionnaires were used to obtain demographic data. Dietary intake was assessed via 3 days dietary record. Levels of trace elements in the nail samples were analyzed by using ICP-MS. Test for intelligence using WASI-II was conducted to measure the students' IQ. The results showed that there was a moderate positive correlation between IQ and carbohydrate (r = 0.425, p < 0.001, a weak positive correlation between IQ and energy (r = 0.260, p < 0.05), vitamin B6 (r = 0.189, p < 0.05), vitamin B12 (r = 0.207, p < 0.05) and vitamin C (r = 0.211, p < 0.05). The levels of trace elements in nail samples showed no correlation with IQ, whereas there were moderate positive correlations between IQ and dietary zinc (r = 0.375, p < 0.001) as well as between IQ and dietary iron (r = 0.303, p < 0.001). There was also a moderate positive correlation between IQ and the level of memorization (r = 0.375, p < 0.001). The results of stepwise multiple linear regression showed that al-Quran memorization influence the level of IQ by 20 %. As a conclusion, dietary intake of certain nutrients including energy, vitamins and selected trace elements can potentially improve memorization activities and also IQ.

The Impact of Listening to, Reciting, or Memorizing the Quran on Physical and Mental Health of Muslims: Evidence From Systematic Review

“…One study assessed the effect of reciting the al- Quran on behaviors of mind [ 5 ]. Meanwhile, seven studies assessed the effect of memorizing al- Quran on memory capacity [ 23 ], health status [ 8 ] depression [ 28 ], brain tissue [ 29 ], QoL [ 22 ] and intelligent quotient (IQ) [ 24 , 26 ].…”

“…Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) [ 13 , 15 , 28 ], standard health questionnaire [ 8 , 20 ], Pittsburgh sleep quality index [ 14 ], physiological parameters [ 16 , 19 ], Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) [ 12 ], depression, anxiety and stress score (DASS) [ 18 ], World Health Organization QoL (WHOQoL) [ 21 ], Wechsler Memory Scale III [ 23 ], magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [ 29 ], electroencephalogram (EEG) [ 5 , 27 ], European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer C30 Scale Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC C30 Scale QLQ) [ 25 ], Short Form-36 QoL (SF-36) [ 22 ] and Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence II (WASI II) [ 24 , 26 ] were used as the outcome measures for each study. Details on the assessments and outcome measures are presented in Table 2 .…”

“…For JBI critical checklist for observational studies, six studies clearly defined the inclusion criteria [ 8 , 22 – 24 , 28 , 29 ], whereas the other two studies were unclear [ 26 ] and no inclusion criteria mentioned [ 25 ]. All studies described the subjects and settings in detail, the exposures were measured in a valid and reliable manner, and the condition was measured using standard criteria.…”

“…All studies described the subjects and settings in detail, the exposures were measured in a valid and reliable manner, and the condition was measured using standard criteria. Confounding factors were identified and strategies for dealing with confounding were clearly stated in two studies [ 22 , 26 ]. As far as we could tell, all the studies measured the outcomes in a valid and reliable manner, and appropriate statistical analysis was used ( Table 4 ).…”

Determination of Level of Heavy Metals, Al-Quran Memorization and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Among Tahfiz Students in Selangor

“…Ini menyebabkan fungsi mental dan fungsi kognitif terganggu apabila berlakunya gangguan pada sistem saraf. Kebolehan atau kemampuan untuk belajar, mengingat atau menghafaz, memahami dan menggunakan bahasa, serta memahami sesuatu perkara boleh terganggu (Hassan 2013) serta menyebabkan pengurangan tahap kecerdasan (IQ) dan menghadkan perhatian (Ibrahim et al 2018). Maka, kajian ini dijalankan bagi mengukur dan mengenal pasti hubungan di antara tahap logam berat, hafazan al-Quran dan kecerdasan (IQ) dalam kalangan pelajar di sekolah tahfiz berbanding sekolah harian terpilih di Selangor.…”