A recent study by researchers from the University of Agder in Norway, first published on the university's website at the end of May of this year, revealed clear links between children's consumption of snacks and their mental health in preschool, specifically starting from age four.

Common Snacks

Snack consumption among children has increased in recent decades, especially in wealthy countries, leading to a doubling of consumption of energy-rich, nutrient-poor foods. This change in eating patterns is due to multiple factors, such as both parents working, higher incomes allowing families more opportunities to buy food and drink outside the home, fewer family meals at home, and increased availability and lower prices of food.

The researchers explained that this dietary pattern has negatively affected children's health, both physically—such as higher rates of obesity and insulin resistance, and children developing metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol—and psychologically, such as increased anxiety and behavioral problems like aggression and a tendency toward violence.

Although many previous studies have discussed the relationship between diet quality and mental health, most focused primarily on adolescents and adults, so there was insufficient data on the early impact of food quality on children's behavior.

The researchers analyzed data from 363 children taken from a previous study conducted in Norway titled 'Early Food for Future Health'. The children were around age four, with approximately equal numbers of boys and girls. The main goal of the data analysis was to determine the impact of these children's diets on their behavior.

Each child's diet was assessed by having parents answer questions about the frequency of consumption of certain foods per day and per week, both healthy and unhealthy. The items included vegetables, fruit, sweet/salty snacks, and soft drinks.

Each child's behavior was evaluated by having parents complete a questionnaire measuring two types of behavioral problems: first, internalizing behaviors such as anxiety, sadness, withdrawal, and lack of willingness to participate; and second, externalizing behaviors such as anger, aggression, restlessness, destructiveness, and difficulty concentrating.

The scientists controlled for all factors that could influence the outcome, such as the children's gender and environment, parents' education level, family socioeconomic status, the mother's psychological state, and any family history of mental illness.

Food and Behavior

The study found that higher consumption of vegetables and fruit in four-year-old children was inversely associated with withdrawn behavior; the more healthy foods they ate, the better their social life and behavior. In contrast, consumption of sweet and salty snacks was positively associated with aggressive behavior; the more snacks consumed, the more violent the child.

The researchers noted that the negative effect of unhealthy food on children's behavior was actually stronger than the protective effect of eating fruit and vegetables, highlighting the danger of consuming harmful snacks even when eating healthy meals.

The study explained that the reason healthy food is linked to good mental health is that fruits and vegetables contain important nutrients such as antioxidants, folic acid, various vitamins, and minerals. All these elements can help protect the brain from inflammation and act as natural antioxidants, thus improving cognitive brain functions, which is crucial for a child early in life, especially before starting school.

In contrast, eating foods high in sugar, fat, and salt can increase inflammation and negatively affect the brain, stimulating disruptive behaviors. The real problem is that unhealthy food (like sweets) is often more easily given to children who show aggressive behaviors in an attempt to calm them, putting children into a vicious cycle of aggression.

It is well known that mental health problems in adolescents pose a major health challenge in most developed societies. In Norway, for example, approximately one-fifth of girls and one-tenth of boys among adolescents suffer from high levels of psychological distress.

Most psychological research indicates that problems that often persist after adolescence and are difficult to eliminate in the long term are those that appear early in a child's life. Therefore, early intervention and prevention of these psychological and behavioral problems are important. Diet can be considered a contributing factor in preventing these problems alongside psychological support and behavioral therapy.

The study warned against neglecting the harm of consuming unhealthy snacks in early childhood in daycare centers and schools, on the pretext that the main focus at home is on healthy meals, because frequent consumption of unhealthy food begins to shape the child's dietary habits later on.

* Pediatric consultant.

"); googletag.cmd.push(function() { onDvtagReady(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3341368-4'); }); }); }