Mental Health

Healthy Diets Could Affect IQ in Children

By Staff Reporter | Update Date: Aug 07, 2012 11:40 AM EDT

You might want to hold off from taking a trip to Burger King with your little one for the sake of their intelligence

According to a revealing study, children fed healthy diets in early age may have a slightly higher IQ, while those on heavier junk food diets may have a slightly reduced IQ.

A team of researchers from the University of Adelaide examined a possible link between the eating habits of children at six months, 15 months and two years, and their IQ at eight years of age.

The study involved over 7,000 children and researchers compared a range of dietary patterns, including traditional and contemporary home-prepared food, ready-prepared baby foods, breastfeeding, and 'discretionary' or junk foods.

Lisa Smithers led the study and said that diet supplies the nutrients needed for the development of brain tissues in the first two years of life, and the aim of the study was to look at what impact diet would have on children's IQs. 

"We found that children who were breastfed at six months and had a healthy diet regularly including foods such as legumes, cheese, fruit and vegetables at 15 and 24 months, had an IQ up to two points higher by age eight," Smithers said. "Those children who had a diet regularly involving biscuits, chocolate, sweets, soft drinks and chips in the first two years of life had IQs up to two points lower by age eight."

Researchers also found some negative impact on IQ from ready-prepared baby foods given at six months, but some positive associations when given at 24 months.

In May, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office launched it's "Latch on NYC" campaign to support mothers who breastfeed their infants by asking city maternity hospitals to voluntarily sign on to support a mother's choice to breastfeed and limit the promotion of infant formula in their facilities which can interfere with that decision. 

The campaign will go in effect on Sept. 3.

New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said human breast milk is best for babies and mothers. 

Smithers said the study reinforces the need to provide children with healthy foods at a crucial, formative time in their lives.

"While the differences in IQ are not huge, this study provides some of the strongest evidence to date that dietary patterns from six to 24 months have a small but significant effect on IQ at eight years of age," Smithers said. "It is important that we consider the longer-term impact of the foods we feed our children."

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