The repercussions of eating junk on our health have been well known. From obesity to bad skin, it all is a result of eating too much junk and to add to it, a new study has found that it could also slow down the brain.
A research found that children who ate the most fast food had poorer scores in tests for mathematics, science and reading.
According to a theory suggested by researchers, the deficiency of iron in fast food is what leads to a slowing development of certain processes in the brain.
Also, another idea suggests that diets high in fat and added sugar can have negative impact on the learning process.
Lead author of the study, Dr Kelly Purtell said ‘research has been focused on how children’s food consumption contributes to the child obesity epidemic.
‘Our findings provide evidence that eating fast food is linked to another problem: poorer academic outcomes.’
In this research, data from a national representative were used, which consisted of samples of 8,500 schoolchildren from the USA, whose fast food consumption was measured at the age of ten.
After taking into account more than two dozen other relevant factors, the samples were then compared against academic test results three years later.
Children were asked how many times did they eat a meal or snack from a fast-food restaurant, including McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King and KFC.
Fifty two percent children had eaten fast food between one and three times in the previous week and ten percent had eaten it four to six times. Another ten percent was found to have eaten it every day.
Children who ate fast food daily scored 79 points compared to 83 in those who never ate fast food.
Similar differences in academic achievement were observed for reading and mathematics.
It was revealed by the Australian researchers last year that eating fast food can have a detrimental effect on memory of rats, at least.
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News source: dailymail.co.uk
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