Dietary habits that may affect IQ
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015 17:16 PM

A person's diet can affect their overall health in numerous and considerable ways. In fact, a nutritious diet is one of the key lifestyle habits connected with a low risk factor for many conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia. But numerous studies have even linked dietary habits to changes in IQ scores. A great deal of research has connected eating well with higher cognitive functioning and eating poorly to reduced intelligence. Take a look at some specific examples of dietary habits that can affect a person's IQ score:

Eating junk food
One study in particular, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, linked a high junk food diet in younger children to a dip in IQ in later childhood. According to the researchers from the University of Bristol, children who ate a diet high in processed, sugary and fatty foods at the age of 3 were found to have lower IQ scores at the age of 8.5 than their counterparts who ate relatively healthy foods. According to the study, healthy foods included salads, fruits and vegetables, rice and pasta. The study found no difference in IQ when it came to the diets of older children, including those around the ages of 4 and 7, though. So while junk food may affect IQ, it apparently mostly matters during early childhood when the brain is developing.

Eating omega-3 fatty acids
Foods containing high levels of omega-3 fatty acids are known for being mental superfoods that can protect the brain from cognitive decline and dementia. But some research has shown it can even affect IQ early in life. A study published in a medical journal called The Lancet found that of 12,000 pregnant women, those who ate little to no seafood (one of the main sources of omega-3 acids) during their pregnancy tended to have children who scored lower on IQ tests.