Children given too much processed sugary food are not only likely to be malnourished or overweight in the short term, but to also suffer neurological changes that leave them struggling to shake off a junk food habit later in life.
Excessive exposure to "readily accessible" high-fat and nutrient-poor food can lead to "long-lasting changes in how the brain regulates eating, even when the unhealthy diet is stopped," according to a team of scientists led by researchers at University College Cork in Ireland.
"Exposure to unhealthy diets, such as high-fat diet or western diets, during early-life has been shown to have effects on offspring’s appetite regulation," the researchers warned in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications recently.
Giving kids snacks and junk food could lead to "lasting disruptions in the adult hypothalamus, a key brain region involved in appetite control and energy balance," according to the team, which included representatives of the University of Seville, the University of Gothenburg and Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, or Teagasc.
"From birthday parties and school celebrations to sporting events and even as rewards for good behaviour, these foods have become a routine part of childhood experiences," the researchers said.
"Our findings show that what we eat early in life really matters," said UCC’s Cristina Cuesta-Martí, who warned that babies and kids who eat unhealthy could face "hidden, long-term effects on feeding behaviour that are not immediately visible through weight alone.
"But the researchers showed that fruit and vegetables such as onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus and bananas carry several types of gut bacteria that could help counter or prevent the effects of early-life exposure to the sicky-sweet or additive-laden fatty slop that can rewire the brain into poor lifelong eating.
"Crucially, our findings show that targeting the gut microbiota can mitigate the long-term effects of an unhealthy early-life diet on later feeding behaviour," said Harriet Schellekens, another UCC researcher.
Other recent research has suggested children should eat more seafood and nuts - and that overdosing infants with antibiotics can leave them vulnerable to allergies later in life. – dpa
