University of East Anglia — MedicalXPress — 27 September 2021
Children who eat a better diet packed with fruit and vegetables have better mental wellbeing, according to new research from The University of East Anglia published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. The study — the first to investigate the association between fruit and vegetable intakes, breakfast and lunch choices, and mental wellbeing in UK school children — studied data from almost 9,000 children in 50 schools across Norfolk (7,570 secondary and 1,253 primary school children). Children self-reported their dietary choices and completed age-appropriate tests of mental wellbeing covering cheerfulness, relaxation and interpersonal relationships.
Key findings: only around a quarter of secondary school children and 28% of primary school children reported eating the recommended five-a-day of fruits and vegetables; one in ten children ate no fruits or vegetables; more than one in five secondary school children and one in 10 primary children didn’t eat breakfast; and more than one in 10 secondary school children didn’t eat lunch. Eating well was associated with better mental wellbeing, particularly among secondary school children. Children who ate a traditional breakfast experienced better wellbeing than those who only had a snack or drink. Most notably, secondary school children who drank energy drinks for breakfast had particularly low mental wellbeing scores — even lower than those consuming no breakfast at all. The researchers also found that nutrition had as much or more of an impact on wellbeing as factors such as witnessing regular arguing or violence at home. Lead researcher Professor Ailsa Welch said: “As a potentially modifiable factor, nutrition represents an important public health target for strategies to address childhood mental wellbeing. Public health strategies and school policies should be developed to ensure that good quality nutrition is available to all children both before and during school in order to optimise mental wellbeing and empower children to fulfil their full potential.”