Will junk food lower your child's IQ?

A new study suggests that feeding kids too much fat and sugar at a young age can drag down their test scores later in childhood

Toddlers who ate diets high in fat and sugar were reportedly associated with lower IQ scores as they aged.
(Image credit: Corbis)

Feeding toddlers a steady diet of processed foods could lead to more than just obesity — it could lower their IQs, according to a new study. Researchers at England's University of Bristol found that a child's eating habits at age 3 may influence his cognitive abilities at age 8. Toddler diets high in fat and sugar were associated with lower IQ scores, while healthier eating was tied to higher scores. The report, which appears in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, is being billed as "the first study to suggest a direct link between the diet of young children and their brainpower" years later. Here, a brief guide to the findings:

How was the study conducted?

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