Thursday's Psychology Trivia Answer: Mom's Junk Food Diet & Her Baby's Future Mental Health

Thought for the Day: Those of you following the Trivia series know that the psychology trivia topics that I share here are far from trivial. This particular study is so important, that I actually am sharing it for a second time. It was included in my Fabulous Finds last Friday. I wanted to make sure that people paid attention and hopefully you will share it with all expectant mothers and parents of young children. It is important not only for their physical health, but for their mental health as well. As they say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
      On Tuesday we asked:
              True of False:
   Mothers who eat more unhealthy junk foods during pregnancy, such as sweet drinks, refined cereals & salty foods, have children with increased behavioral problems, such as aggression & tantrums.

     The answer is true. New research found a link between a mother's diet during pregnancy the future mental health of her unborn child. The study (published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) by researchers from Deakin University in Australia  & from Norway, analyzed data from more than 23,000 mothers from a Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study. In addition to information about the mothers' diets throughout pregnancy, they gathered information about the children's diets at 18 months & 3 years of age. When their children were 18 months, 3-years & 5-years-old tthe mother's answered questionnaires  to see if their children had symptoms of:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Conduct disorder, and/or
• ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Then, they analyzed the relationship between the mothers' & children's diets, & the mental health symptoms & behaviors the children had at the 3 age levels. Mother's who exposed their infants to unhealthy food during pregnancy had children with significantly more behavioral problems. Their children were more aggressive & had more tantrums. In addition, children who ate less healthy foods early in life had a tendency to not only show an increase in behavioral problems but also had more signs of depression & anxiety.

Therefore, what you eat when you are pregnant and what you feed your small children, can make a difference in their mental health. These findings are important for every expectant mother to know. Please share them with parents of small children as well.

Thanks to MNT (Medical news Today) where I found this story:
Junk food in pregnancy linked to childhood mental disorders