If your kid has academically been scoring low marks, then it may be time to keep a check on their consumption of junk food. A novel study has established a link between poor academic performance and the consumption of junk food in children. This study was conducted by the experts from the Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
It was stated that children on junk food may lack in their performance as compared to the kids on a healthy diet. Seemingly, for the first time a direct link has been administered between the academic performance and the intake of sugary and high fat fast foods in children.
For the purpose of the study more than 5000 children aging between 10 and 11 years old were analyzed. These children were apparently questioned on the number of times that they had consumed junk food in the past week. It was discovered that the children on a diet consisting of greater than the required amount of junk food may score lesser in tests as compared to their counterparts. More so, these findings were still the same when certain things like background and poverty level were taken into consideration.
Dr. Kerri Tobin, of Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, US, says that, “It’s possible that the types of food served at fast-food restaurants cause cognitive difficulties that result in lower test scores. Alternatively, it is possible that the propensity to eat fast food is connected to unobserved characteristics, like parental involvement in homework, which would also affect test scores.â€
It was also hypothesized that maybe some children resorted to the consumption of junk food in order to cope with their low scored marks. Besides, staying away from junk food may also be instrumental in keeping away those excess kilos.