The foods that you feed your children when they’re babies may have more of a long-term impact than you think.
A new study out of Australia reveals that “Children breastfed at six months and fed a healthy diet, such as plenty of cheese, fruits and vegetables, had an IQ up to two points higher at age eight than youngsters fed poor diets in their first two years of life.”
The test, which was setup by researchers from Australia’s University of Adelaide, analyzed the eating habits of over 7,000 children at six months old, 15 months old and two years old. They also tested their IQ at age 8.
In addition, researchers also found a small negative impact on IQ from ready-made baby foods. The interesting part is that, while there was a small negative impact of giving 6-month-old babies ready-prepared baby foods, there was a small positive impact of giving 24-month-old toddlers the same products.
Dr. Lisa Smithers stresses the importance of a healthy diet for babies. In a statement this week, she revealed “Diet supplies the nutrients needed for the development of brain tissues in the first two years of life.”
The study was published in the European Journal of Epidemiology online.
