Junk food link to mental health problems in children

New Australian research suggests mums who eat unhealthy foods during pregnancy are more likely to have children with behavioural problems - a finding the authors claim is a “first”. “We’ve known for quite some time that very early life nutrition, including the nutrition received while the child is in utero, is related to physical health outcomes in children – their risk for later heart disease or diabetes for example. But this is the first study indicating that diet is also important to mental health outcomes in children,” lead author and researcher with Deakin University’s IMPACT Strategic Research Centre based at Barwon Health in Geelong, Victoria, Associate Professor Felice Jacka says in a statement from Deakin University.