Nutritional deficiencies early in life may predispose children to behavioral problems into their teenage years, new research suggests.

The study of nearly 1,600 children from Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, found that those with signs of malnutrition at age 3 were more likely to show various behavioral problems at the ages of 8, 11 and 17.

At age 3, the malnourished children had signs of deficiencies in protein, iron, zinc and certain B vitamins - nutrients vital to healthy brain development. The study findings suggest that poor early-life nutrition may cause deficits in brain function that predispose children to problems such as hyperactivity and aggression later on, the study’s lead author, Dr. Jianghong Liu, told Reuters Health.

She and her colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles report the findings in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

For the study, the researchers assessed signs of malnutrition - such as iron-deficiency anemia, thin and discolored hair, and cracked lips - among 3-year-olds born in 1969 and 1970. The children were given IQ tests at the age of 11, and parents and teachers reported on any behavioral problems at the ages of 8, 11 and 17.

Children who were malnourished early in life were more likely than their peers to act out at school, break rules, get into fights or have other behavioral problems as they grew older, Liu and her colleagues found.

Other factors usually associated with child malnutrition - such as poverty, poor housing and parents’ lack of education - did not explain the link.

However, malnourished children’s generally lower IQs did appear to be a key factor.

According to Liu, these lower IQ scores may “reflect neurocognitive deficits,” caused by malnutrition, that may predispose children to antisocial behavior. The first three years of life are “critical” in brain development, Liu said, so proper nutrition during this period is of particular importance.

Although many factors go into children’s behavior, Liu said the new findings point to a possible way to reduce the risk of behavioral problems into adolescence.

SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry, November 2004.