Primary school children who eat a healthy diet and get more exercise do better in maths, Maastricht University research shows.

The children were given a healthy lunch and extra gym lessons over a period of four years. “We were amazed by the result,” said preventive medicine professor Onno van Schayk RTL News. “The children showed improvement after just one year and the effect remained. We expected it to make a difference, but not so quickly and so pronounced,” he said.

The researchers studied data from research conducted among 2,200 children at eight primary schools between 2015 and 2020. Two schools received a healthy lunch and extra exercise, while at two other schools the children only exercised more. Four schools served as the control group.

At the time it was clear that children who ate a healthy lunch and exercised more were healthier and had less belly fat, but this is the first time a link has been established between a healthy diet and exercise and better maths skills .

After four years, the healthier children far outperformed the control group children, but only in math. Language skills did not show large discrepancies. “Language skills are partly developed at home,” Van Schayk said. “Parents will often practice words and sentences with their children, but not sums.”

Marina Schmitz, the principal of one of the participating schools, told RTL that a healthy lunch is “vital”. “Some kids come to school with a cold slice of pizza in their lunch box,” she said. “This is not food for the brain.”

After a lunch of wholemeal bread and a choice of cucumber, radish, cheese, egg and jam, children are more attentive, she said. Parents pay an extra €1.75 for lunch and extra exercise hours. “That means they don’t have to shop for lunch, and if they can’t afford it, there’s help available,” Schmitz said.

Van Schayk said the government needs to do more to promote healthy eating.

The government has pledged to spend 135 million euros on free school meals for children from poor families. “This is mainly aimed at filling the stomach. The point is, the food has to be good for you, too,” Van Schayk said.