In the movie "Dude, Where's My Car?" Ashton Kutcher has a run-in with a drive-thru operator that seems to confirm what a recent study found: Eating fast food dulls the brain — and then affects how kids do in school.
An Ohio State University study looked at more than 11,000 kids from the fifth to eighth grades and found that the more fast foods fifth graders ate, the lower their test score gains in reading/literacy, mathematics, and science three years later.
In fact, eating fast food three or more times a week was associated with a whopping 20 percent lower gain in test scores!
Overall, 10 percent of the kids said they ate fast food every day; 10 percent ate it four to six times a week; and over 50 percent said they gobbled up fast food between one and three times weekly.
What is it about fast food that dumbs kids down?
Research shows that diets high in fat and sugar have an immediate negative impact on memory building and learning. That one-two punch KOs neurotransmitters that the brain needs to think and form memories.
Plus, nutritionally deprived fast foods lack iron and other nutrients that build brain strength, while trans fats used to fry foods flat out dull your brain power.
So, dodge the fast food at school, and set a good example at home. Once kids can see and taste the difference, they'll discover just how much more alert they are at play and at school.
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