A Nutritious Breakfast Helps Children to Do Better at School: Cognition & School Performance

Children may be vulnerable to the nutritional effects of breakfast on brain activity and associated cognitive outcomes as they have a higher brain glucose metabolism compared with adults (32). The higher metabolic turnover of children, their rapid growth rates and the importance of their cognitive function for academic achievement underlie the need for optimal nutrition including breakfast intake. Most studies on breakfast consumption suggest breakfast to be positively associated with learning in children in terms of behaviour, cognitive, and school performance (1). It is generally assumed that the beneficial effects of eating breakfast on cognitive performance are expected to be short term and specific to the morning on which breakfast is eaten and to selective cognitive functions. However, several studies have shown the benefit of habitual or regular breakfast (increased frequency >5 days/week) consumption on academic performance (2,3). At the same time, some evidence suggests that breakfast quality (and not just frequency), in terms of providing a greater variety of food groups (3-4) and adequate energy (>20-25%E of the estimated energy needs), was positively related to school performance (33). 

A study by Cardiff University found a significant link between eating breakfast and performing above average on teacher assessment scores. The children who ate a healthy morning meal such as cereal, bread, dairy or fruit were up to twice as likely to achieve better than average grades compared to those who had none and compared to those who snacked on junk foods (34).