Study: Junk food contributes to dumbening in children
It’s no shocker that eating junk food can cause obesity, especially in children. But a new British study shows that it can also make you dumber. The Daily Mail reports that researchers at Bristol University have shown that when toddlers consume a diet of “chips, crisps, biscuits, and pizza” (that’s fries, chips, cookies and pizza), they’re more likely to end up with a lower I.Q. later in life. It’s unconfirmed as yet whether spray-tanning your children à la Toddlers and Tiaras has the same effect.
Meanwhile, the researchers also note that a traditional diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and home-cooked meals led to better IQ scores—up to a five IQ point difference by the time children are eight years old. As if healthy eaters really needed another excuse to act all superior. After Sunday’s Super Bowl festivities, though, we may not even be able to detect their condescension.
• Danger of a junk food diet for children: Study reveals toddlers who eat more chips, crisps, biscuits and pizza have lower IQ [Daily Mail]
• Junk food diet linked to lower IQ: Study [Calgary Herald]
• Junk Food Makes People Like Totally Dumb [Eater]
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/study-junk-food-contributes-to-dumbening-in-children/&title=Study: Junk food contributes to dumbening in children&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/poutine.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_55040" align="aligncenter" width="656" caption="Feeling more stupider? (Image: Craige Moore)"][/caption]
It’s no shocker that eating junk food can cause obesity, especially in children. But a new British study shows that it can also make you dumber. The Daily Mail reports that researchers at Bristol University have shown that when toddlers consume a diet of “chips, crisps, biscuits, and pizza” (that’s fries, chips, cookies and pizza), they’re more likely to end up with a lower I.Q. later in life. It’s unconfirmed as yet whether spray-tanning your children à la Toddlers and Tiaras has the same effect.
Meanwhile, the researchers also note that a traditional diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and home-cooked meals led to better IQ scores—up to a five IQ point difference by the time children are eight years old. As if healthy eaters really needed another excuse to act all superior. After Sunday’s Super Bowl festivities, though, we may not even be able to detect their condescension.
• Danger of a junk food diet for children: Study reveals toddlers who eat more chips, crisps, biscuits and pizza have lower IQ [Daily Mail]
• Junk food diet linked to lower IQ: Study [Calgary Herald]
• Junk Food Makes People Like Totally Dumb [Eater]){kind=link}
Dumbening?
A sharp wit on that Kelman lady…
The use of the word “Dumbening” contributes to the stupification of readers.
I’m sorry, this is so dumb of an article. The kids eating salmon etc. likely come from a whole different societal upbringing than those brought up on junk food. That means better schools, more money for tutors etc. It’s like saying that pickles kill people because 100 percent of people who ate a pickle will or have died.
@Joe – yeah, but your IQ has nothing to do with how well you were brought up or what scores you get at school — it’s just a raw measure of your intelligence. Upbringing has nothing to do with it.
Actually your socioo-economic upbringing has a huge impact on how well you do on intelligence tests because the tests are some-what biased. There’s been many studies done on this. Personally I don’t believe in IQ tests at all, because someone who has been exposed to the types of problems on them will do better than someone that has never been exposed to those types of problems and so certain people will have advantages in filling them out. I agree with Joe in that this at most is a ‘correlation’ and cause and effect should not be inferred because as he mentioned, Kids eating a healthier diet may have parents that care more about them, are less likely to smoke,etc, and so there are many factors and not enough information as to whether these were all controlled factors in the study.
Clearly the writer has ate junk food from birth
“Clearly the writer has “ATE” junk food from birth? You are eating too much McDo’s also! “Clearly the writer has eaten too much junk food”
And what the heck is Dumbening? Is it a new verb? “I’m going to go practice my dumbening today”, says the Toronto Life writer, as he scurries on down the hall towards a big bag of Timmies donuts.
I think Toronto Life should hire someone who can string a few words together and make them sound like he’s not overdosing on pizza. Notice the photo caption. “Feeling more stupider”, it says. Please go back to high school and take english 101 again. Talk to Homer Simpson about removing the crayon from your brain.
Clearly Kelman, Lee and possibly Nic (though I can’t be too sure) have been eating too much junk food themselves, and can no longer detect humour.
No MMH,
Due to the nature of some of these slack-jawed, middle school educated bloggers on this site I would not put it past them to make up a word in order to sound more intelligent. Truth is, it isn’t even all that funny or witty. When a website based on a publication makes up headlines like this one, it makes Torontolife look bad overall.
here we go again, a true meeting of the minds.. everytime some moron posts a scientific untruth some other moron with a bigger ego gets in there to tell the rest of us how science really works. thanks y’all for the enlightenment. im going to go grab a free sandwich at mickey D’s since i havent been in about 3 years….. we can all get a good laugh at how ridiculous mcdonalds is and realize how sad it is that so many people are still spending their lunch money everyday on crap.
Not mentioned are the IQs of subjects’ parents and poverty.
If any of you actually clicked on the link you’ll find that the study actually did include socio-economic factors. Researchers these days aren’t oblivious, they’re probably aware of all the criticisms you guys are all leveling. Their argument isn’t as strong as “junk food makes you stupid” rather than “junk food hinders early childhood brain development”. It really isn’t that hard to swallow, nor is it that interesting. It’s not much different from saying “pregnant women shouldn’t smoke”.
That is not junk food (pictured)! that is art!
I will slap the fool who dares say poutine is junk.
Gizelle Lau you just made the list.