Health
Children who don't get enough healthy nutrients in their first 3 years of life may show lower intellectual performance than those who eat healthy ones products, scientists suggest.
Eight-year-old children who were low in fats, sugars and processed foods by the age of three performed 1-2 points higher on IQ tests, even compared to with those who started eating right only after 3 years.
“Children should get used to eating healthy from an early age and avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar as much as possible,” says researcher Kate Northstone, who works at Department of Social Medicine and Health Care at the University of Bristol, UK. “We know that this is very important for physical growth and development, but it is also very useful for developing intellectual abilities.”
“Research results have shown that nutrition at a very early age, if we do not take into account breastfeeding, is very important and much more important than nutrition at an older age, because it is at this time cognitive development takes place during the period.”
“Like many other studies on children's nutrition and the impact on their future lives, this new study has helped suggest that there is a link, but nutrition is not the main one the cause of problems in intellectual development,” says Dr. Steven Abrams, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition.
At the same time, Adams said these results are credible. It is very difficult to collect information about children's nutrition when interviewing their parents and monitor the results over time. The fact that the study did take place and the relationship was found is already very good news.
Research has shown that certain groups of children may benefit from an improved diet. Scientists do not yet believe that the research results should urgently force parents to change their children's diet to develop intellectual abilities.
Most people are well aware that a healthy diet is beneficial in any case, but children's IQ levels should not be expected to increase by 1-2 points immediately. However, there is evidence that healthy eating in babies will give results in the future.
Scientists studied data on 4,000 8-year-old children, monitored their diet and then analyzed their abilities. It is not yet clear which component caused the increase in intellectual abilities. Abrams believes that perhaps additional fatty acids and iron helped children become smarter.
“The effect of nutrition on children's intelligence is relatively small, but studies have shown that processed foods should be avoided and healthier foods should be included in the diet,” Northstone said. “We recommend that parents feed their children a diet that is low in harmful fats and sugars, and it is better to include more fruits and vegetables in their diet.”