Kids Who Ate More Ultra-Processed Foods at Age 2 Scored Lower on IQ Tests Years Later

Ultra-processed foods are grabbing plenty of headlines for their potential negative health effects on adults. Studies have linked over-consumption of them to everything from diabetes to cancer and even depression. However, most of these studies focus on adults. A new study out of the University of Illinois suggests that ultra-processed foods may be detrimental to the youngest members of our global population, too.

In January, researchers from the university published their study’s findings in the British Journal of Nutrition, analyzing the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort to better understand how children’s dietary patterns affect their cognitive performance. The researchers explained in a statement that the findings “add to growing global evidence that early childhood nutrition — particularly exposure to ultraprocessed foods — may play a meaningful role in shaping brain development.”

For background, the researchers explained that the Pelotas Birth Cohort is one of the most “comprehensive long-running population studies in Latin America,” which followed thousands of children from birth. The researchers used detailed information on what children were eating at age two to assess their cognitive performance once they reached early school age (between ages six and seven).