Children who eat more fruit and veggies have better mental health

Date:
September 28, 2021
Source:
University of East Anglia
Summary:
New research finds that children who eat more fruit and veg have
better mental health. The study is the first to investigate the
association between fruit and vegetable intakes, breakfast and lunch
choices, and mental wellbeing in UK school children. The research
team studied data from almost 9,000 children in 50 schools. They
found that the types of breakfast and lunch eaten by both primary
and secondary school pupils were significantly associated with
wellbeing.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== 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.


==========================================================================
A new study published today is the first to investigate the association
between fruit and vegetable intakes, breakfast and lunch choices, and
mental wellbeing in UK school children.

It shows how eating more fruit and veg is linked with better wellbeing
among secondary school pupils in particular. And children who consumed
five or more portions of fruit and veg a day had the highest scores for
mental wellbeing.

The study was led by UEA Health and Social Care Partners in collaboration
with Norfolk County Council.

The research team say that public health strategies and school policies
should be developed to ensure that good quality nutrition is available
to all children before and during school to optimise mental wellbeing
and empower children to fulfil their full potential.

Lead researcher Prof Ailsa Welch, from UEA's Norwich Medical School,
said: "We know that poor mental wellbeing is a major issue for young
people and is likely to have long-term negative consequences.



==========================================================================
"The pressures of social media and modern school culture have been touted
as potential reasons for a rising prevalence of low mental wellbeing in children and young people.

"And there is a growing recognition of the importance of mental health
and wellbeing in early life -- not least because adolescent mental health problems often persist into adulthood, leading to poorer life outcomes
and achievement.

"While the links between nutrition and physical health are well
understood, until now, not much has been known about whether nutrition
plays a part in children's emotional wellbeing. So, we set out to
investigate the association between dietary choices and mental wellbeing
among schoolchildren." The research team studied data from almost 9,000 children in 50 schools across Norfolk (7,570 secondary and 1,253 primary
school children) taken from the Norfolk children and Young People's
Health and wellbeing Survey.

This survey was commissioned by the Public Health department of Norfolk
County Council and the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Board. It was open
to all Norfolk schools during October 2017.



========================================================================== Children involved in the study self-reported their dietary choices and
took part in age-appropriate tests of mental wellbeing that covered cheerfulness, relaxation, and having good interpersonal relationships.

Prof Welch said: "In terms of nutrition, we found that only around a
quarter of secondary-school children and 28 per cent of primary-school
children reported eating the recommended five-a-day fruits and
vegetables. And just under one in ten children were not eating any 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.

The team looked at the association between nutritional factors and mental wellbeing and took into account other factors that might have an impact --
such as adverse childhood experiences and home situations.

Dr Richard Hayhoe, also from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "We
found that eating well was associated with better mental wellbeing in
children. And that among secondary school children in particular, there
was a really strong link between eating a nutritious diet, packed with
fruit and vegetables, and having better mental wellbeing.

"We also found that the types of breakfast and lunch eaten by both
primary and secondary school pupils were also significantly associated
with wellbeing.

"Children who ate a traditional breakfast experienced better wellbeing
than those who only had a snack or drink. But secondary school children
who drank energy drinks for breakfast had particularly low mental
wellbeing scores, even lower than for those children consuming no
breakfast at all.

"According to our data, in a class of 30 secondary school pupils, around
21 will have consumed a conventional-type breakfast, and at least four
will have had nothing to eat or drink before starting classes in the
morning.

"Similarly, at least three pupils will go into afternoon classes without
eating any lunch. This is of concern, and likely to affect not only
academic performance at school but also physical growth and development.

"Another interesting thing that we found was that nutrition had as much
or more of an impact on wellbeing as factors such as witnessing regular
arguing or violence at home.

Prof Welch said: "As a potentially modifiable factor at an individual
and societal level, 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." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_East_Anglia. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Richard Hayhoe, Boika Rechel, Allan B Clark, Claire Gummerson,
S J Louise
Smith, Ailsa A Welch. Cross-sectional associations of
schoolchildren's fruit and vegetable consumption, and meal
choices, with their mental well-being: a cross-sectional
study. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 2021; e000205 DOI:
10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000205 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210928075004.htm

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