Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Essential food for young minds

Kids who regularly eat breakfast appear to get the nutrients they need and do better in school.

Kids should eat breakfast. Children are still growing, so their need for energy and nutrients is more critical. "The research overwhelmingly shows that there appear to be many more benefits to eating breakfast than any negative consequences," says Gail Rampersaud, a dietitian at the University of Florida in Gainesville who recently analyzed 47 studies published between 1970 and 2004 on the health effects of breakfast (or skipping it) on children.

Among the findings:

Many studies — although not all — suggest that skipping breakfast may have ill effects on the cognitive function of children, especially on their memory.

Studies have also reported that the introduction of a school breakfast program led to better math grades, as well as reduced absences and tardiness.

In addition to the effects on children's mind, children who don't get breakfast risk losing out on adequate intake of vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, according to about a dozen studies.

About another dozen studies suggest that children and adolescents who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight. Despite this evidence, even children as young as 4 years old are not always fed breakfast by their parents. In the United States, it's estimated that 8% of children age 6 to 11 skip breakfast, with the number climbing to 25% in 12- to 19-year-olds.

By Andreas von Bubnoff, Special to The LA Times
September 18, 2006

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