Combo Of Healthy Diet, Reading & Sports Improves Reasoning Skills in Children

During the early school years, reasoning skills are significant to child’s development. Healthy diet with minimal red meat intake, more reading time and indulging in sports has improved the reasoning skills in children. This recent study was done at University of Eastern Finland.

Holistic Approach to Child Development

“Children with healthier eating habits showed greater cognitive development than other children. Specifically, better overall diet quality, lower red meat consumption, and higher low-fat dairy product intake were linked to better reasoning skills,” says Doctoral Researcher Sehrish Naveed of the University of Eastern Finland (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Healthy eating for children

Go to source). Children who spent more time in reading and organized sports showed better reasoning skills than their peers. On the other hand, excessive time spent on a computer and unsupervised leisure-time physical activity were associated with poorer reasoning skills. Screen time, active school transportation, recess physical activity, and physical activity intensity were not associated with reasoning skills.(2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Physical Activity and Cognitive Functioning of Children: A Systematic Review

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Over half of the children participated in a two-year family-based and individualized diet and physical activity intervention. However, the intervention did not impact reasoning skills, with the children in the intervention and control groups exhibiting similar cognitive development.

Cognitive Development in Growing Children

“In the lives of early school going children, diet and physical activity intervention is just one factor influencing lifestyle and reasoning skills. Based on our study, investing in a healthy diet and encouraging children to read are beneficial for the development of reasoning skills among children. Additionally, engaging in organized sports appears to support reasoning skills”, Dr. Eero Haapala points out.

Published in the esteemed Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, the results of this study are based on data from the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study. This sub-study examined the effects of a two-year diet and physical activity intervention on cognition among 397 Finnish elementary school children. The associations of dietary factors, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour with cognition over two years were also studied. The analyses considered parental education and income as well as children’s body fat percentage and maturity level.

References:

1. Healthy eating for children - (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/healthy-eating-children)
2. Physical Activity and Cognitive Functioning of Children: A Systematic Review - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5923842/)

Source-Eurekalert