(08-03-13) Skipping breakfast hurts your child's IQ

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Children who regularly skip breakfast have lower verbal,
performance and full-scale IQs than other children, according to a study
conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

"Childhood is a critical period in which dietary and lifestyle patterns are
initiated, and these habits can have important immediate and long-term
implications," lead researcher Jianghong Liu said. "Breakfast habits appear to
be no exception, and irregular breakfast eating has already been associated
with a number of unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, frequent alcohol use,
and infrequent exercise."

Although the nutritional, cognitive and performance benefits of breakfast have
been well established, the study is actually one of the first to look at the
connection between breakfast and IQ. The researchers analyzed data from 1,269
six-year-olds taking part in the ongoing China Jintan Child Cohort Study, which
is designed to uncover the early risk factors for later childhood
neurobehavioral health.

Breakfast is highly valued in China, so skipping it is less common than in the
United States.

The researchers found that even after adjusting for seven sociodemographic
risk factors for low IQ, children who regularly skipped breakfast had lower
overall IQ scores (by 4.6 points) than children who always or nearly always ate
breakfast. The performance IQ scores among children who skipped breakfast were
2.50 points lower, and their verbal IQ scores were 5.58 points lower.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences.

Lifelong consequences
The researchers believe that breakfast is especially important for young
children, whose brains are still going through rapid cognitive development.
After an entire night of fasting, the brain is starved for energy, and
breakfast supplies it with the fuel it needs for a new day. In addition, the
researchers suggested that the social interaction that children receive from
eating breakfast with their families also promotes brain development. Observing
and taking part in regular group conversation helps young children expand their
vocabularies, learn general knowledge, and gain practice at understanding and
synthesizing stories.

"Because adequate nutrition in early childhood has been linked to increased IQ
through childhood, which is related to decreased childhood behavioral
disorders, better career satisfaction, and socioeconomic success in adults,
breakfast consumption could ultimately benefit long-term physical and mental
health outcomes as well a quality of life," Liu said.

"These findings ... hold important public health implications regarding
regular breakfast consumption in early young children."

One way to increase breakfast consumption among children would be to make the
school day start later, the researchers suggested. Alternately (or in
addition), schools could provide breakfast for students.

Other studies have shown that about 18 percent of U.S. residents over the age
of two skip breakfast regularly. They have also shown that it is not just
children who suffer from skipping this important meal. A 2012 study found that
people who skip breakfast tend to weigh more than average, and also are more
likely to consume too many high-calorie foods and sugary soft drinks, and to
eat fewer fruits and vegetables.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130205143334.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120629143045.htm

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