Can a Toddler's Diet Affect His or Her IQ?

Nutrients and the Brain

• Your child̵7;s brain has billions of neurons and synapses -- the connections between the neurons. In the first few years of life, the brain is creating pathways by developing synapses that are used frequently and ̶0;pruning̶1; synapses that are not used. In order to complete this developmental work, the brain needs certain nutrients, according to the Urban Child Institute. Nutrient shortages can decrease cell development or affect the size and complexity of cells. Choline, folic acid and zinc have been clearly linked to brain function. DHA, an essential fatty acid, is critical for development of synapses.

Malnutrition

• Malnutrition, or even undernutrition, can cause retarded brain growth, according to the World Bank website on child development. Severe malnourishment can decrease a child̵7;s IQ by as much as 15 points, but even a child who has some degree of undernutrition may have cognitive problems. When a toddler̵7;s diet is deficient in protein or carbohydrates, for example, it can affect brain development. The longer a child suffers from poor nutrition or malnourishment, the less likely it is that the damage can be reversed.

Brain Structure and Verbal IQ

• Diet can affect brain structure and verbal IQ, according to a March 2008 article in ̶0;Pediatric Research.̶1; Researchers examined adolescents who had received either standard or high-nutrient diets in the first few weeks after birth. The high-nutrient diet contained more protein and more calories. The children underwent magnetic resonance imaging in their early teens. Researchers found that a portion of the brain called the caudate nucleus was larger in those teens who had been given the high-nutrient diet. Teen boys had higher verbal IQ scores in the high-nutrient group, which led the researchers to conclude that diet in early childhood affects IQ.

Diet Matters

• Two separate studies have found that diet influences IQ. The first study, reported in the February ̶0;Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,̶1; measured IQ levels in toddlers fed either a diet high in fats, sugars and processed foods or a diet high in pasta, fish, rice, salads and fruits. The study began when the children were 3 and the children̵7;s IQ was measured at the age of 8. A processed food diet when the child was 3 could cause a small but significant decrease in IQ by age 8. A second study reported on the University of Adelaide website found toddlers who ate a diet high in soft drinks and sweets had IQs as much as two points lower than children of the same age who ate a healthier diet.