Children who eat more fast food are likely to do poorly at school and end up with lower grades. This finding comes from an American-wide study conducted at Ohio State University. The investigators found that the more often children ate fast food in fifth grade, the lower their progress in maths, reading, and science test scores by the time they were in eighth grade. Pupils who ate the most fast food had test score gains that were around 20 percent lower than those who didn't eat any fast food.

Kelly Purtell was the lead author of the study and is assistant professor of human sciences at The Ohio State University. She has an interesting quote: "There's a lot of evidence that fast food consumption is linked to childhood obesity, but the problems don't end there. Relying too much on fast food could hurt how well children do in the classroom."

One possible explanation the researchers have offered is lower levels of iron. People who eat more fast food can have lower iron levels, and iron is very important for cognitive development.

Iodine deficiency is another common culprit, and this strongly influences a child’s IQ. It’s also important to remember that a large body of earlier research has shown that high carbohydrate and sugar diets have been shown to harm memory and learning ability. Sugar can make children hyperactive and later, when their blood sugar crashes, they can become tired and lose the ability to concentrate.

Although this particular study was done on children, the findings pertain to everyone at all stages of life. Adults who eat healthier food are better able to do their job, and consequently, often do better in their career. Older people who eat well are more likely to retain their mental faculties into old age and not develop dementia. It’s important to realize that eating junk food doesn’t only harm your thighs and love handles. Spare a thought to your brain.

It's not always possible to prepare home-cooked meals three times a day. Life can be incredibly busy and stressful. My Ultimate Superfood powder provides high-quality vegetarian pea protein, along with 28 superfoods and greens. It can be added to yogurt, cereal or smoothies, but is also delicious stirred into water. It can help top up nutrient levels when the diet is inadequate.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

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