Poor childhood nutrition tied to behavior problems

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2004-12-01 9:27:11

 

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By Amy Norton

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nutritional deficiencies early in life

may predispose children to behavioral problems into their teenage

years, new research suggests.

 

The study of nearly 1,600 children from Mauritius, an island in the

Indian Ocean, found that those with signs of malnutrition at age 3

were more likely to show various behavioral problems at the ages of

8, 11 and 17.

 

At age 3, the malnourished children had signs of deficiencies in

protein, iron, zinc and certain B vitamins -- nutrients vital to

healthy brain development. 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 study's lead author, Dr. Jianghong Liu, told Reuters

Health.

 

She and her colleagues at the University of Southern California in

Los Angeles report the findings in the American Journal of

Psychiatry.

 

For the study, the researchers assessed signs of malnutrition --

such as iron-deficiency anemia, thin and discolored hair, and

cracked lips -- among 3-year-olds born in 1969 and 1970. The

children were given IQ tests at the age of 11, and parents and

teachers reported on any behavioral problems at the ages of 8, 11

and 17.

 

Children who were malnourished early in life were more likely than

their peers to act out at school, break rules, get into fights or

have other behavioral problems as they grew older, Liu and her

colleagues found.

 

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.

 

According to Liu, these lower IQ scores may " reflect neurocognitive

deficits, " caused by malnutrition, that may predispose children to

antisocial behavior. The first three years of life are " critical " in

brain development, Liu said, so proper nutrition during this period

is of particular importance.

 

Although many factors go into children's behavior, Liu said the new

findings point to a possible way to reduce the risk of behavioral

problems into adolescence.

 

SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry, November 2004.