This is Your Brain on Junk Food; And It’s Likely to Stay That Way
by Scientists suggest children who eat highly processed food when they are young will have lower IQs.
If there weren’t reason enough to stay away from the fried donuts, sugary cookies, and Twinkies, scientists have learned that young children who feast on such items may suffer lower IQs.
The researchers say children from one to three years old who are prone to munch on things that are delicious but not nutritious, will likely find themselves coming up a little short as they move through life. That will remain the case, say the scientists, even if the child, as he or she grows older, reverts to a more healthy diet.
14,000 Children Studied
To reach their conclusion, the researchers examined research involving 14,000 children born in the 1990s and who were followed for many years thereafter. Three types of eaters were categorized. Those who ate foods rich in fats and sugars, those with a high concentration of meat and vegetables, and those who ate a more healthy balance of foods such as salad, fruit, vegetables, rice and pasta.
The children were given IQ tests when they reached the age of 8.5. The results showed that the children fed the fat and sugar based foods at the age of 3 had a lower IQ by the time they were tested – and it didn’t matter if their diets improved after the age of 3. For every one point scored on a dietary scale that the researchers used, there was a 1.67 decline in the child’s IQ. When a healthy diet was consumed, a 1.2 increase in IQ was registered.
The researchers say that the brain grows fastest during the first three years and the nutritional intake during those years is key to the progress a child will make in his or her later years.
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