Dr Pauline Emmett is Senior Nutritionist and Dietician at Bristol University. She recently co-authored a report with experts at London University’s Institute of Education entitled: “Dietary patterns related to attainment in school: the importance of early eating patterns.”
In the conclusion of this report, Dr Emmett states : “Having taken into account other factors that could affect performance, such as low family income, the link between a poor diet at three, and reduced academic performance is robust… Early eating patterns have effects that persist over time, regardless of later changes in diet. Therefore it is very important for children to eat a well-balanced diet from an early age if they are to get the best out of their education.”
This research was based on evidence from the ongoing Children of the 90s study (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children [ALSPAC] study). This is an ongoing research project based at the University of Bristol. The project began in 1991 to 1992 with the enrolment of 14,000 pregnant women. The women and their children have been followed since then.
