April 20, 2000 – According to a study of 1,300 young Filipinos, academic and cognitive performance are influenced by the variety and quality of the diet.
By putting into perspective the diet the children had at two and eight years old with their school performance at age 11, researcher Michelle Mendez found that children who were fed a variety of foods had a marked educational advantage over those who received only the traditional diet of rice, fish and corn.
According to the researcher, several studies have already suggested that children fed a monodiet or only a few foods lacked certain key nutrients such as zinc or iron. These impairments, when they occur in early childhood, could have a significant impact on the development of the brain itself.
The results of the study showed that children fed a restricted diet performed well below average in school, while those who ate a varied diet of high-energy foods performed slightly below average. above average. In short, food does not make you intelligent, but a deficient diet seems to influence the development of cognitive faculties.
According to the researcher, children who had a very poor diet at two years old never caught up with those who had a varied and rich diet at the same age, even if their diet was better and more varied when they were eight years old. “It’s never too late to start eating well, but the sooner the better,” she concludes.
According to the researcher, these results could mean that children in developed countries, who consume a lot of soft drinks and minute meals providing them with “empty” calories, are in fact deprived of nutrients essential for their cognitive development.
HealthPassport.net
According to Reuters, April 18, 2000