Children who eat more fruits and vegetables daily have better cognitive development and more efficient memory
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousA new study confirms: children who are used to eating organic food on a daily basis have better cognitive development, more efficient memory and achieve above-average results in intellectual tests.
A healthy and balanced diet, which includes many foods of biological origin, is rich in nutrients necessary for the brain to function properly - such as fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants - which together can boost cognitive functions in children. This is what emerges from a European study conducted in six different countries (France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and Great Britain), which involved 1.298 children between the ages of 6 and 11.
The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of factors such as the environment, pollution and nutrition on the development and maturation of the human brain, given that in childhood the brain is not yet fully developed nor is it able to defend itself from environmental chemicals. or from other threats.
The researchers looked at 87 environmental factors to which the babies were exposed in the womb (air pollution, traffic, noise, the mother's lifestyle, chemicals) and 122 to which they were exposed in infancy, and observed their impact on the development of fluid intelligence (the ability to solve problems never faced before) and the working memory (the brain's ability to hold new information that is required for an activity close in time).
(Read also: Too much time in front of cell phones, tablets and TVs radically changes children's brains, the study)
The results attested to higher levels of fluid intelligence and working memory in children who regularly eat organic food than in those who often eat at fast food. Furthermore, household crowding and passive smoking in childhood are also associated with poor levels of fluid intelligence and memory. As for the number of people living at home, this is often an indicator of the economic status of the child's family, and the context of poverty favors unhealthy lifestyles (BIO food can be too expensive and not affordable for the family ) which can have negative effects on cognitive test results.
We have observed that many environmental pollutants (indoor air pollution, cigarette smoke) and lifestyle habits developed in childhood (nutrition, sleep habits) are associated with behavioral problems in children. Martine Freedom, among the authors of the study. - One of the strengths of our research is that we have systematically analyzed a very wide range of factors to understand what is at the basis of childhood behavior and development.
Credits: Science Direct
Fonte: Science Direct
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