From The Belly to The Brain, How Our IQ is Growing Due to Food

Every decade since 1948, the average IQ rose by 2.2 points thanks to proper nourishment.

It took our brains millions of years to evolve, and here we are with exceptional intelligence growth in just a few decades — how come?

Since 1948 the average IQ rose by 2.2 points. This marvelous fact was discovered by the scientist James Flynn, this study became known as the “Flynn Effect”. The majority of people since 1948 have received better nourishment and mental stimulation which is one of the main reasons for IQ growth. In rich countries, the Flynn effect stays stagnant, and in middle-class and poor countries children are still not well enough fed to attain the heights of full cognitive function.

According to The Economist, 22% of children under five are malnourished and at a higher risk of stunting. Stunting, caused by micronutrient deficiency, hinders brain development and physical growth. This condition leads to poor cognitive abilities and educational performance, potentially resulting in stunted brain development. If combined with excessive weight gain later in childhood, it can contribute to nutrition-related chronic diseases in adulthood.

Half of the world’s children suffer from micronutrient deficiency. A lack of mental stimulation with poor nutrition is a recipe fit to steal as many as 15 IQ points. When this happens in the first 1000 days of life, known as “The Golden Window” it can be permanent.

The hardships of malnourishment come from war, poverty, and disease which are some of the most logical reasons, but there are further lesser-known obstacles. Poor eating habits, bad policies that favor ignorance, and sexism can play a role in patriarchal societies where the male will eat the majority of proteins to leave their pregnant women iron-deficient, which can lead to a malnourished mother who can give birth to a malnourished baby. Or taboos that refrain mothers from eating high-nutritious foods, or giving a carbohydrate-rich diet to an infant that lacks micronutrients and protein, as I have previously written in The Invention of Infant Formula, Nestlé & Controversy.

Some options that could work would be to raise awareness and education on hygiene which is much easier said than done. Yet the most effective would be perhaps to promote better nutrition through health care systems. Globally, a quarter of infants aged 6-23 months will have only two food groups, like breast milk and something from the carbohydrate family.

A better diet for mothers and infants would make the world a smarter place. Even if a baby gets enough of the major macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats, the child's brain development can still face significant challenges if there is a lack of essential nutrients such as iron, iodine, and zinc.

The most serious shortfall in brain development is a lack of iron. Even Ghandi knows all too well the importance of salt, where iodine added to salt has made a once common form of mental deficiency known as cretinism a thing of the past. Zinc is important in the creation of DNA, growing cells, tissue repair, and supporting a healthy immune system. Adequate zinc is essential during periods of rapid growth, such as childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy, because it supports cell growth and multiplication.

It isn’t enough to simply fill a child with a basic staple of carbohydrates and neglect the rest. Again, in patriarchal societies, women can tend to eat last and the least. Healthy children are supposed to also have thriving gut bacteria which helps digest their food, those without are more likely to be malnourished. Empty calories are another battle children are unknowingly fighting everywhere. Stores prefer to sell cookies, chips, and sugar-rich snacks because they have a much longer shelf life compared to vegetables. This leads to overweight children who can still be malnourished, contributing to the global rise in obesity.

Nutrition is extremely complex that even with sufficient data it might not be enough. Many governments struggle with the basics of nutrition, and food subsidies often miss the mark. While providing free grain is helpful, offering cash and education might be more effective. Cash can give people the flexibility to buy diverse and nutritious foods, while nutrition education can help them make healthier choices. The World Food Programme worked with the Ugandan government through a program known as Nutricash, which offers 20$ a month for two years to 13,000 mothers — provided that they take useful advice on how to grow vegetables in their backyards and learn how to better feed their babies with added mental stimulation for healthy growth.

Some of the mothers interviewed by The Economist mentioned that they have learned better food preparation hygiene, such as cleaning cooking utensils before use. They also started buying goats and ducks, which have multiplied and diversified their diet. One woman used to wean her baby with boiled water and dissolved sugar and claimed she knew nothing about nutrition before.

You might think you're off the hook, but an American study reveals a decline in nutrients in crops. This study examined 13 nutrients in 43 different crops and found decreases in protein, calcium, and phosphorus, which are crucial for strong bones, teeth, and nerve function. Additionally, there were losses in iron, essential for oxygen transport, riboflavin, important for fat metabolism, and vitamin C, necessary for tissue growth and immune function.

Another study shows grains having decreased by 23% in protein value from 1955 to 2016, along with a further reduction in manganese, iron, zinc, and magnesium. This decline not only affects human health and cognitive function but also impacts livestock such as cows, pigs, goats, and lambs that feed less nutritious grass and grains, which gives us less nutritious animal protein.

It’s becoming a hard battle to keep up with our growing IQ points, but we are losing bigger points on the future of our food. This is sadly a serious matter since half of the world’s children, and two-thirds of women of childbearing age don’t get enough micronutrients. This leads to a harder start in life, all because of a lack of nutrients and access to an ever-changing nutritional environment.

According to the World Bank, an estimated investment of $12 billion a year to fight nutritional deficiency can help in creating healthier, more productive, and smarter children worldwide. This food for thought on malnutrition has heavy human and economic costs, affecting the poor, women, and children. Solving this issue can lead to drastic improvements in cognitive development, a stronger educational future, healthier and a better variety of food, and help the economy to thrive in the future in both rich and poor countries. Quite an affordable price to pay for a smarter and more productive future for our children of the world.

Orange duck-ly yours,

The Greasy Pen.

Cover photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash