New Study Reveals Fast Food Consumption May Affect How Well Children Perform In The Classroom

A study recently published in the Clinical Pediatrics journal revealed that the test scores of children who consume fast food 4 times a week or more were up to 20% lower than those of children who don't regularly consume fast food. The study was done on 11,700 elementary age students, once when they were in kindergarten and again when the students were in grade five. Some additional observations were made:

• 2 in 3 grade five students reported to eating fast food before the study was done.
• 1 in 10 students reported eating fast food every day.
• Another 10% reported eating fast food between 4-6 times a week.

"There's a lot of evidence that fast food consumption is linked to childhood obesity, but the problems don't end there," Dr. Katy Purtell, the Ohio State University professor who conducted the study, revealed. "Relying too much on fast food could hurt how well children do in the classroom."   Fast food you can pick up at local restaurants at a moment's notice are generally high in trans fats and saturated fats, both which affect brain synapses and molecules related to learning and memory. Studies done at UCLA's Brain and Research Institute have shown that a diet rich with omega 3 fatty acids, however, aid in learning and memory and help fight against mental disorders including attention-deficit disorder, dementia, dyslexia, depression, bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia. Tell us: How often do you eat fast food? Do you notice a difference in your mind and body when you eat fast food compared to when you don't?