Help Tweens and Teens Do Better in School
Five Researched-Based Guidelines to Improve Student Performance
Dec 2, 2008
School is a big part of kids’ lives and parents want them to do their best. And that means keeping them healthy and free of disease. Tweens and teens (approximate ages 9 to 17) thrive if they can focus on their studies and not be sidetracked by foggy thinking, numerous distractions, poor immune systems, and chronic diseases like asthma and migraines. Research recently addresses these concerns and suggests guidelines.
Fruits, Vegetables and Academic Performance
Scientists have found that in a study of 325 junior high students, consumption of higher amounts of fruits and vegetables correlates with higher academic performance. The study appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. It compared students with the lowest servings of fruits and vegetables to the highest. Nutritionists usually recommend about 5 to 9 half-cup servings of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables per day.
Multivitamins, Vitamin D, Attention Span and Immune System
British and Australian researchers found that children between the ages of 8 and 14 improved their attention span after just 3 months of taking a daily multivitamin. The results of the research study appeared in the November 2008 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition. Kids are not perfect eaters and the multivitamin ensures adequate nutrients to enhance concentration.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended in the November 2008 issue of Pediatrics that children should now get 400 IU of vitamin D per day, up from the previously recommended 200 IU. Vitamin D prevents rickets, an abnormal bone disease. In addition, scientists believe it helps build the immune system to prevent diseases. Vitamin D is not readily available in food except in fortified milk, juice and cereals. Most multivitamins contain 400 IU of vitamin D.
Asthma, Migraines and Research
About 12% of kids in the U.S. have asthma with related coughing, breathlessness and wheezing. A study in the December 2005 issue of Allergy that involved 1300 New Zealand kids ages 10 to 12 found that just 1 fast-food hamburger per week raised the risk of asthma by 75%. Associated wheezing problems raised the risk to 100%. In addition, the more hamburgers eaten the greater likelihood of developing asthma.
Migraines are more than just fierce headaches and these attacks can include intense pain on one side of the head, vomiting and sensitivity to sound and light. In the U.S. about 10% of tweens and teens suffer this malady. A German study appearing in the journal Headache published online March 2005, found that 108 kids ages 6 to 17 had a 77% decrease in the frequency of migraines after taking the herb butterbur (root extract). The results were obtained after just 4 months.
Guidelines for Better School Performance
Parents know that tweens and teens need good nutrition and adequate sleep to keep healthy. Research says you can likely augment your kids’ academic performance in school by increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables they eat. Also, increased attention span in school is probable by serving-up a multivitamin per day. Children plagued by asthma symptoms are apt to cut problems by cutting way back on fast food, especially hamburgers. Migraine sufferers may see frequency go down by taking the herb butterbur.
This is an educational article only. See your physician for medical advice.
References
“Keep Teen Girls Healthy.” Suite 101, accessed December 1, 2008.
“Family Meals Benefit Teens.” Suite 101, accessed December 1, 2008.
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