A newly published study suggests that overweight children may exhibit lower intelligence levels compared to their peers with healthier weights.
Conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, the study analyzed data from over 5,000 children aged nine to eleven to determine the correlation between body mass index and cognitive performance.
The researchers found that children with higher BMI scores performed worse on standardized picture and vocabulary tasks.
Children who scored one point lower on these tasks exhibited a higher average BMI by 0.012.
Overweight and obese children, categorized with a BMI above the 85th percentile, were nearly twice as likely to encounter additional cognitive and mental health issues.
The researchers urge clinicians to monitor overweight and obese children for increased symptoms of depression and cognitive deficits.
They also advocate for a better understanding of the drivers behind unhealthy lifestyle choices and their impact on children's mental well-being.
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