A study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has proved the direct links between seafood and increased Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Apart from increasing the IQ, consuming seafood can also help in providing better sleep. The results of the new study have been published in the latest edition of Scientific Reports journal.
During the study, researchers analyzed 541 children aged between 9 to 11, and they were asked to answer a questionnaire on how often they consumed seafood in the past one month. The participants were also asked to answer a Chinese IQ test. After this, parents of the participants were asked to answer about the sleeping patterns of their kids.
After analyzing the results, the researchers found that children who ate fish at least once a week had better IQ scores than other participants. They also had a healthy sound sleep when compared to children who did not eat fish.
"IQ measures and the total sleep disturbance score demonstrated a significant association with fish consumption: as compared to children who never or seldom ate fish, those having more frequent fish intake had higher verbal, performance, and full-scale IQ scores, as well as a lower total sleep disturbance score," wrote the researchers in the study report.
Jennifer Pinto-Martin, the co-author of the study revealed that fish intake has positive health benefits in the human body and should be advertised and promoted.
"Our study found that fish consumption among school-aged children is associated with both improved sleep and cognitive ability and that sleep partially mediated the relationship between fish consumption at age 9–11 years and cognitive ability as measured by IQ at age 12 years," read the study report.
The researchers also urged to explore the mechanisms through which intake of omega-3 fatty acids are providing positive impacts on neurodevelopment and cognitive function.
