Nutritional deficiencies early in life can predispose children to behavioural problems in their teenage years. Researchers from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, USA, assessed signs of malnutrition such as iron-deficiency anaemia, thin and discoloured hair and cracked lips among 1,600 3-year-olds. The children were given IQ tests at the age of 11, and parents and teachers reported on any behavioural problems at the ages of 8, 11 and 17. Children who were malnourished early in life were more likely than their peers to have attention seeking behaviour, break rules, get into fights or have other behavioural problems, as they grew older. Other factors usually associated with child malnutrition such as poverty, poor housing and parents' lack of education did not explain the link. However, malnourished children's generally lower IQs did appear to be a key factor. The study findings suggest that poor early-life nutrition may cause deficits in brain function that predispose children to problems such as hyperactivity and aggression later on. The first three years of life are critical in brain development, so proper nutrition during this period is of particular importance. Although many factors go into children's behaviour, the above findings point to a possible way to reduce the risk of behavioural problems in adolescence.
American Journal of Psychiatry,
December 2004