Feb. 10, 2026 | AHS Staff
Health and Kinesiology professors talked about early childhood nutrition with local news
It’s no secret that the food you eat every day can impact your body or impact how you feel. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois are learning the link between what toddlers are eating, and how they think years later.
A team of professors from the College of Applied Health Sciences joined WCIA 3’s Amanda Brennan in the studio for Tuesday’s “University Update” to talk all about their new study, that found an association between unhealthy dietary patterns in early childhood and lowered cognitive test scores for kids years later.
“Our take home lesson today is that nutrition earlier in life really matters,” said Thaynã Flores, health and kinesiology assistant professor. “At age two, the brain is still developing fast and what the children eat during this period influences the brain’s outcomes later.”
Pedro Hallal, a professor with the Department of Health and Kinesiology added that it’s “no secret” that what you eat can influence your chronic disease risk or other physical impacts.
“What is new about this study is that what kids eat very early in life, at the age of two, will influence your brain, your cognition ability at age six. The more ultra-processed foods kids eat, the less developed their brains will be at age six. And that’s concerning,” Hallal said.
Watch their full appearance on WCIA 3 News.
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