Eating habit of a child determines his/her brainpower.
Consuming too much of fast food can affect the level of intelligence in children, researchers warn parents.
A team of researchers from Goldsmiths, University of London included 4,000 Scottish children aged three and five years to unveil the hidden risks associated with fast food meals and to show the importance of 'slow' and freshly-cooked food on brain development and IQ of children.
"It's common sense that the type of food we eat will affect brain development, but previous research has only looked at the effects of specific food groups on children's IQ rather than at generic types of meals," Dr. Sophie von Stumm, who conducted the study, said in a news release.
The investigators also noticed parents of higher socio-economic status (SES) having children with high IQ levels and more often providing their children with fresh meals, prepared with fresh ingredients. On the other hand, parents from low socio- economic status were found providing their children too much of fast food, that showed a negative impact on the children's intelligence.
"The findings highlight that differences in children's meals are also a social problem. Mothers and fathers from less privileged backgrounds often have less time to prepare a freshly cooked meal from scratch for their children," Dr. Von Stumm explained. "These children score lower on intelligence tests and often struggle in school.Schools in less privileged areas must do even more to balance children's diet, so that they can achieve their cognitive potential.
"It goes to show that the freshness and quality of food matters more than just being full, in particular when children are young and developing."
