Children who eat a healthy diet in their first three years of school have better reading skills than the rest of their peers.

This is evidenced by the results of an unusual study conducted in Finland..

Staff at the University of Eastern Finland monitored children's reading skills between first and third grade of primary school, comparing their progress with dietary habits..

Statistical analysis revealed that the lack of polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber and vitamins in the children's menu is somehow related to the delay in reading skills.. Quite possibly, this also applies to other intellectual skills..

Recall that in 2013, an assumption was made about the influence of the so-called healthy eating on the academic performance of preschoolers and their IQ.. Recent research supports this theory..

Finnish scientists compared the Mediterranean diet, the Baltic Sea diet and the standard dietary guidelines adopted in Finland.

It turned out that a children's diet, as close as possible to any of the listed diets, contributes to the development of intellectual skills in preschoolers.

“A very important observation was the link between reading skill and diet, which was independent of any other concomitant factors - be it social status, child's mobility, body fat percentage and fitness,” explains Dr. Eero Haapala in a university press release..

For the project, 161 Finnish first-graders aged 6-8 years were recruited, whose diet was assessed according to the standard scales Mediterranean Diet Score, Finnish Children Health Eating Index and Baltic Sea Diet Score. Children were observed from first to third grade.

The Mediterranean diet was found to be most beneficial for reading comprehension in first grade, and the so-called Baltic diet was the best for developing reading skills later.. Finnish Ministry of Health nutrition helped children to assimilate information in the first two grades and made them leaders in reading technique in the third year of school.

The losers were children, whose diet was unsystematic, replete with semi-finished products and fast food.. Sugar and saturated animal fats, which are rich in the Western diet, were the most harmful to the child's mind..

Scientists have included vegetables, berries, fruits, whole grains and fish with its polyunsaturated fats in the list of the most beneficial foods for the brain..

Researchers believe their findings should serve as a wake-up call for parents, governments and baby food companies.

For more intriguing work, check out the pages of the European Journal of Nutrition..

medbe. ru.