This test score brought to you by McDonalds
A new study supposedly shows that high-calorie junk food might give students a cognitive boost on tests. The result is said to be "short-term":
The study compared nutritional content of school lunch menus from 23 randomly selected districts in Virginia on days of state-mandated tests against non-test days during the 1999-2000 academic year.
It linked high-calorie, low-nutrition meals with schools which faced possible state sanctions for underachievment. A 110-calorie bump over the regular lunch menu in those troubled schools increased passing scores by 11 percent in math, 6 percent in English and 6 percent in social studies over schools offering lower-calorie menus on the same days.
Previous studies have shown that the energy boost which comes from consuming glucose or empty calories has given students a short-term learning advantage.
The study can be purchased here. There's no evidence yet to suggest that the research was funded by Krispy Kreme, but I have my suspicions.....