Bath University researchers have found significant brain changes in children who exhibit prolonged bad behaviour.Brain scans showed reductions in the cortex outer layer which regulates behaviour & emotion. The amygdala associated with reasoning & language also had lower volume.
The study was based on scans of 1185 children diagnosed with conduct disorders & were compared with 1253 children without the condition. The disorder affects around 7% of boys & 3% of girls aged 5-10 years with prevalence rising in teenage years.
Children with conduct disorder had lower total surface area across the outer layer of the brain in 26 of 34 individual regions, 2 of which also showed significant changes in cortical thickness.
They also had lower volume in several subcortical brain regions including the amygdala, hippocampus & thalamus which play a central role in regulating behaviour.
It is still unclear what causes these differences,but the researchers said it appeared brain development is different in children with conduct disorder & which could be caused by childhood adversity & maltreatment.
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
Cambridge University & Bristol research of 3000 British children aged 11-18 years has found that ultra processed foods account for two thirds of children’s calorie intake.
They found UPF consumption was 861g per day or 66% of daily energy intake. Intake tended to be higher amongst boys & those of white ethnicity, along with those from poorer backgrounds & living in the north of England.
UPF have been linked to poor health because they are calorie dense & are extremely palatable large quantities being eaten. They are low in nutrients & high in saturated fat, sugar & salt. They contain high levels of additives.
An earlier UPF study said that linked UPF consumption. to 32 harmful effects to health, a higher risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, higher risk of heart disease & adverse mental health.
Dave Vizard's Behaviour Solutions 