{"id":433864,"date":"2026-02-19T09:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T09:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/433864\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T09:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T09:19:16","slug":"scientists-reveal-common-foods-linked-to-lower-iq-in-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/433864\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Reveal Common Foods Linked to Lower IQ in Children"},"content":{"rendered":"

A child\u2019s diet<\/a> at just two years old may have lasting implications for how they think and learn years later, according to a new analysis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Researchers found that\u00a0toddlers who consumed more\u00a0ultraprocessed\u00a0foods at age two<\/a>\u00a0scored lower on intelligence tests at ages six and seven, even after accounting for a wide range of social,\u00a0economic\u00a0and family<\/a> factors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The analysis was based on data from the Pelotas Birth Cohort, which is following thousands of children<\/a> born in southern Brazil from birth through childhood and beyond.<\/p>\n

For this study, researchers from the University of Illinois and the Federal University of Pelotas collected detailed dietary data when children were two years old and later assessed their cognitive performance once they reached early school age.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rather than examining individual foods or nutrients, the researchers focused on overall dietary patterns. Using a statistical technique called principal\u00a0component\u00a0analysis, they\u00a0identified\u00a0two dominant eating patterns among toddlers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One pattern, described as \u201chealthy,\u201d included foods such as beans, fruits, vegetables, baby\u00a0foods\u00a0and natural fruit juices. The other, labeled \u201cunhealthy,\u201d was characterized by snacks, instant noodles, sweet biscuits, candies, soft drinks,\u00a0sausages\u00a0and\u00a0processed meats<\/a>\u2014many of which are considered\u00a0ultraprocessed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Children whose diets more closely matched the unhealthy pattern at age two had lower IQ<\/a> scores at ages six to seven.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Importantly, the association held even after researchers adjusted for\u00a0numerous\u00a0factors that can influence cognitive development, including maternal education, socioeconomic status, family structure, breastfeeding duration, early childhood\u00a0education\u00a0and home stimulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some commonly debated influences on cognition, such as parental IQ, were not included because they were not measured in the cohort. However,\u00a0professor Thayna\u00a0Flores, one of the\u00a0study\u2019s\u00a0authors,\u00a0noted that the\u00a0study used\u00a0proxies for the home learning environment, including measures of stimulation and preschool attendance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One unexpected finding was that the healthy dietary pattern was not associated with higher IQ scores. Flores said this\u00a0likely reflects\u00a0how widespread healthy foods already were in the sample, making differences harder to detect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cApproximately\u00a092 percent of children habitually\u00a0consumed\u00a0four or more of the foods that characterize the healthy pattern,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The strongest effects were seen among children who were already biologically vulnerable. The link between unhealthy diets and lower IQ was more pronounced in children who had early deficits in weight,\u00a0height\u00a0or head circumference\u2014suggesting a cumulative disadvantage when poor nutrition<\/a> compounds early growth challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the study did not directly test biological mechanisms, Flores said existing research points to plausible explanations. Diets high in\u00a0ultraprocessed\u00a0foods may affect brain<\/a> development through pathways involving inflammation, oxidative\u00a0stress\u00a0and\u00a0changes in the gut\u2013brain axis<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the research is based in Brazil, the authors said\u00a0the findings may have global relevance, given the widespread availability of\u00a0ultraprocessed\u00a0foods worldwide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Flores, the message is clear. \u201cWe need to consider the rise in\u00a0ultraprocessed\u00a0foods,\u201d she said. “Stronger actions now can help prevent these foods, especially in early childhood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do you have a tip on a health story that\u00a0Newsweek\u00a0should be covering? Do you have a question about cognitive development? Let us know via\u00a0health@newsweek.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

Reference<\/p>\n

Heller, G. T., Flores, T. R., Carpena, M. X., Hallal, P. C., Domingues, M. R., & Bertoldi, A. D. (2026). Dietary patterns at age 2 and cognitive performance at ages 6\u20137: An analysis of the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort (Brazil). British Journal of Nutrition. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S000711452610628X<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A child\u2019s diet at just two years old may have lasting implications for how they think and learn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433865,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[7341,7503,616,2864,1991,102,33961,6636,2201,158459,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-433864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-brain","tag-children","tag-diet","tag-family","tag-food","tag-health","tag-iq","tag-nutrition","tag-parenting","tag-pediatric-health","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}