{"id":"f-73cd9b4b27-60e0c773-bcfe-508a-bc7d-85b4719dd2c3","title":"Can sugar make your kids short-tempered? Study finds a link between diet & behaviour","description":"When children were three, caregivers completed a detailed questionnaire regarding their eating habits. The foods were then segregated using the NOVA system, which classifies items according to the level of processing.","timestamp":1773473760,"category":"food_and_health","headline":"Can sugar make your kids short-tempered? Study finds a link between diet & behaviour","modifiedHeadline":"Processed Foods Linked to Child Behaviour","subCategories":["scid_f5dca605"],"subcategoriesName":["Nutrition"],"region":"IN","bundleMetaData":{"bundleId":"95eb7aa5-b217-4492-828d-a879ddce4179","bundleTitle":"Nourish & Flourish","cardData":null},"iabCategoryId":"301","fcSummary":"a study of over 2,000 canadian children found a link between high consumption of ultra-processed foods at age 3 and slightly elevated behavioural/emotional difficulties at age 5. researchers observed a pattern, noting that increased processed food intake correlated with higher scores on behavioural symptom assessments, particularly with sweetened drinks and snacks. while the impact was small, the findings suggest early eating habits may influence development and warrant further investigation.","summary":"Ultra-processed foods linked to behavior issues in young children, study finds. Diet may impact emotional & social development. #childhood","ctaUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/astrology/IN/en/news9/f-73cd9b4b27-60e0c773-bcfe-508a-bc7d-85b4719dd2c3","sourceUrl":"https://www.news9live.com/health/health-news/can-sugar-make-your-kids-short-tempered-study-finds-a-link-between-diet-behaviour-2940953","bannerImage":"https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/A5344bq2sZt0.webp","content":"

New Delhi: Children who consume large amounts of ultra-processed foods early in life may be slightly more likely to develop behavioural or emotional difficulties

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a few years later, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. The study followed over 2,000 children in Canada, evaluated their diet at age 3, and noted the impact at age 5. Researchers also noted that children who ate more processed food scored higher on measures of behavioural and emotional symptoms.

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The differences were not dramatic, the researchers say, but the pattern was consistent enough to raise questions about how early eating habits might influence development.

Early childhood is an important stage for emotional and social development. During these years, children begin to show behaviours that psychologists often group into two broad categories. Some children show “internalising” behaviours — things like anxiety, sadness, or withdrawal. Others showed that externalising behaviour like aggression, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity are a part of normal development. Furthermore, these can hint at future mental health challenges.

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Researchers have been trying to understand which everyday factors might influence these early patterns. Diet is one possibility, particularly as ultra-processed foods have become a large part of children’s diets in many countries.
\n In the Canadian study, scientists used data from the CHILD Cohort Study, a long-running research project that tracks families from pregnancy through childhood. The analysis included children from several regions, including Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, and Manitoba.

When children were three, caregivers completed a detailed questionnaire regarding their eating habits. The foods were then segregated using the NOVA system, which classifies items according to the level of processing. Fresh foods like vegetables, fruits, meat, or grains were placed under the minimally processed category, while packaged snacks and sugary drinks were classified as ultraprocessed.

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Results showed that such foods made up a large share of daily calories. On average, they accounted for about 46 percent of what the preschoolers were eating each day. Two years later, when the children were five, caregivers completed the Child Behavior Checklist, a commonly used tool that asks about emotional and behavioural patterns. Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods earlier in childhood was linked with slightly higher scores for behavioural symptoms.

The increases were small. For every 10 percent rise in calories coming from ultra-processed foods, behavioural scores increased by less than one point on the scale used in the assessment. Still, the pattern appeared across several types of behaviour. Some of the strongest links were seen with foods such as sweetened drinks, artificially sweetened beverages, processed breads, and ready-to-eat snack products.

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Researchers also ran a model to see what might happen if children ate fewer ultra-processed foods. Replacing about 10 percent of calories from ultra-processed products with minimally processed foods was linked with slightly lower behavioural symptom scores. The study does not prove that processed foods directly cause behavioural problems. Many other factors—including family environment, lifestyle habits, and genetics—also influence child development.
\n Even so, the findings add to growing concerns about how heavily processed diets may affect children’s health. Researchers say encouraging families to offer more whole or minimally processed foods could be one small step toward supporting healthier development during the early years.

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Can sugar make your kids short-tempered? Study finds a link between diet & behaviour

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