Is a Child’s IQ Influenced by His Diet?

When I read what Dr. Stephen Boyd had written about our kids IQ’s I just had to share it. As parents we always want what’s best for our children, all we need is the correct information so we can implement the best life plans for them.

"It is generally accepted that diet plays an important role in achieving optimal health and wellness. It is one of the three Pillars of Health proposed by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) in 2010, the other two being nutritional supplementation and exercise.¹ The fact is, the vast majority of people in the developed world do not follow established nutritional guidelines.²

A recent study highlights the negative impact of a typical “junk food” diet high in refined sugar, fat, and processed and convenience foods on the intelligence of infants and young children.³ The authors examined the relationship between diet and IQ in nearly 4,000 children measured at ages 3, 4, 7 and 8.5 years. They were able to recognize three consistent dietary patterns at each of the age time points, which they described as “processed,” “traditional” and “health conscious.” The “processed” diet was high in sugar, fat and convenience foods; the “traditional” diet was high in home-cooked meals; and the “health conscious” diet was high in salads, fruits, vegetables, fish, etc.

The Diet that Decreases IQ   

The clearest correlation found in the study was that consuming a “processed” diet in the first three years of life resulted in a decrease in IQ when measured at 8.5 years. In other words, as stated by the authors, Dr. Kate Northstone and colleagues, the results suggest a “long-term effect of diet on the child’s ability to learn.” You may not know this, but the brain grows most rapidly during the first three years of life. The authors of this study stated, “Studies have shown that head growth during this time is associated with cognitive outcome, and it is possible that good nutrition during this early period may encourage optimal brain growth.” The study also concluded that the “health conscious” diet had the opposite effect, resulting in an increase in IQ at all ages.
Good nutritional intake is vital for optimal growth and development. It is particularly important in infancy and early childhood because it is during these early years that the body’s organ systems, including the brain and central nervous system, are rapidly developing and maturing. The diet not only supplies the energy to fuel this development, it also supplies the vital nutrients necessary for their creation and maturation.
What clinical studies like this clearly tell us is that if the diet and nutritional intake are less than optimal, then the development and function of the brain will also be less than optimal. The other disturbing conclusion from the study is that the impairment in brain function, as measured by IQ, resulting from poor early nutrition appears to be permanent. The loss is still measurable years later. The individual may never reach their full potential. Such is the power of poor nutrition!"

Parent’s, lets take action now by providing our families with a great diet and necessary supplements for optimum health.

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