Study found that eating processed foods before age 3 or causing low IQ

British researchers have followed up 14,000 children for many years and found that people who ingest junk food before the age of 3 may have lower IQ in the future than their peers. The study involved 14,000 people born in western England in 1991 and 1992. Researchers asked their parents to answer questionnaires at the ages of 3, 4, 7, and 6, respectively, to understand the dietary details of the subjects.

Researchers mainly focus on three types of diet: diets rich in processed fats and carbohydrates; second, “traditional” diets for more meats and vegetables; and third, “health-conscious” diets such as salads, fruits, vegetables, and pasta Mainly rice.

When the subjects were 8 years and 6 months old, the researchers tested their IQ with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. The results showed that among the 4,000 individuals with complete data, there was a significant difference in IQ between those who consumed processed food before the age of 3 and those who were “health-conscious”.

Researchers published a research report in the monthly issue of the "Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health," published by the British Medical Association. The study said that the average IQ of the one-fifth child with the most processed foods in the study was 101, and the diet was "health-conscious". One child had an average IQ of 106.

Paulina Emmet, one of the authors of the report and of the University of Bristol School of Social and Community Medicine in the United Kingdom, said: “This is a very small difference, but it makes them less able to cope with education and other aspects of life. "(Reporter Zhang Liangru)