- Children who eat vegetables at dinner do better in writing and spelling tests
- That’s because vegetables are rich in antioxidants which help maintain DNA
- And fizzy drinks make children perform more badly at school, researchers find
Victoria Allen for the Daily Mail
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It is another reason for parents to persevere when their children refuse to eat their greens.
Finishing their vegetables at dinner the night before appears to make them do better at school the next day.
Children who eat vegetables with their evening meal every night record significantly better scores in writing and spelling tests, an Australian study found.
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Children who eat vegetables with their evening meal every night record significantly better scores in writing and spelling tests, an Australian study found (stock image)
HOW DO VEGETABLES IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTION?
Children who eat vegetables with their evening meal every night record significantly better scores in writing and spelling tests, an Australian study found.
That is thought to be because vegetables are rich in antioxidants which maintain DNA, making them good for the brain.
Commenting on the study, Louise Dye, professor of nutrition and behaviour at Leeds University, said: ‘There may be beneficial effects of a healthy diet for cognitive function.
‘Polyphenols, which are found in lots of vegetables and particularly the more colourful ones, have been shown to have effects on cognitive performance in adults and children.’
But she said there may be other reasons explaining the link between vegetables and schoolwork, adding: ‘For instance, children in homes where the adults are providing them with a healthy diet may be more likely to get other help, such as with reading and homework.’
That is thought to be because vegetables are rich in antioxidants which maintain DNA, making them good for the brain.
Where studies normally examine the effect of eating breakfast on children’s academic performance, this is one of the first to look at their evening meal.
The study found vegetable intake boosted children’s achievement even when their parents’ education level was taken into account.
Lead author Tracy Burrows, associate professor at Newcastle University in Australia, said: ‘The results provide interesting insight into the role that dietary intakes may have on outcomes such as academic achievement.’
Commenting on the study, Louise Dye, professor of nutrition and behaviour at Leeds University, said: ‘There may be beneficial effects of a healthy diet for cognitive function.
‘Polyphenols, which are found in lots of vegetables and particularly the more colourful ones, have been shown to have effects on cognitive performance in adults and children.’
But she said there may be other reasons explaining the link between vegetables and schoolwork, adding: ‘For instance, children in homes where the adults are providing them with a healthy diet may be more likely to get other help, such as with reading and homework.’
The benefits of vegetables on older people are apparent in studies which show a Mediterranean diet wards off dementia.
Their effect on children aged eight to 15 was measured by asking parents how often they ate vegetables with their evening meal.
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The study of more than 4,200 children found they scored 86 points higher on literacy and numeracy tests if they had vegetables for every evening meal of the week.
The boost in test scores, compared to children who had no vegetables with any evening meal, was highest for spelling and writing.
Fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants which maintain DNA, making them good for the brain (stock image)
The study, published in the journal Appetite, states that vegetables contain antioxidants, which are similar to polyphenols and maintain cellular DNA.
The research team found fizzy drinks, in comparison, could make children perform more badly at school.
Children reported by their parents to have least four glasses of sugar-sweetened drinks a day had test scores 46 points lower than those drinking less than a glass.
Refined carbohydrates, found in these drinks, have been found to reduce the volume of the brain, including its memory centre, the hippocampus.
Children who ate two pieces of fruit a day had higher writing scores in literacy tests, the study also found.
Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at Glasgow University, said researchers had adjusted for parents’ socioeconomic group, but could not rule out children who fed their children healthy diets helping them in other ways.
He added: ‘That said, there are plentiful other health and wellbeing reasons to promote diets richer in fruit and vegetables and sugar-free beverages and if we can as a community make it easier and cheaper for everyone to follow such diets, then all sorts of health benefits will accrue, potentially including better academic performances.’
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