Want to sharpen your kids' mental skills and boost intelligence quotient (IQ) levels? Fish will act as an IQ booster.
Other than acting as an IQ booster, fish has many other benefits Pixabay
For the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, a cohort of 541 nine to 11-year-olds in China — 54 per cent boys and 46 per cent girls — completed a questionnaire about how often they consumed fish in the past month.
Their parents then answered questions about sleep quality, which included topics such as sleep duration and frequency of night waking or daytime sleepiness.
Fish has omega-3 which reduces anti-social behavior Pixabay
Previous studies showed a relationship between omega-3s, the fatty acids in many types of fish, and improved intelligence, as well as omega-3s and better sleep. But they've never all been connected before.
The new study reveals sleep as a possible mediating pathway — the potential missing link between fish and intelligence, the researchers said.
"Lack of sleep is associated with antisocial behaviour, poor cognition is associated with antisocial behaviour," said Adrian Raine, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
"We have found that omega-3 supplements reduce antisocial behaviour, so it's not too surprising that fish is behind this."
The study "adds to the growing body of evidence showing that fish consumption has really positive health benefits and should be something more heavily advertised and promoted", said Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Professor at the varsity. (IANS)