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Child Nutrition Boosts Adult Income: Study

Guatemalan kids given supplement earn 50% more as grown-ups

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 1, 2008 4:20 PM CST

(Newser) – Eating a nutritious diet as an infant has a significant effect on income later in life, a study published in the Lancet finds. Researchers looked at Guatemalan males over a three-decade period and found that those who had received a nutritious food supplement were earning close to 50% more per hour as grown men than those who had not.

Because nutrition was the only factor that varied for the subject pool of Guatemalan villagers, the study is the first to isolate nutrition from a host of other advantages, like schooling and economic environment, known to influence financial success. The findings could affect how economic aid is distributed in the developing world, the BBC reports.

Maya indigenous women attend the inauguration ceremony of elected Mayan municipal officials in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Maya indigenous women attend the inauguration ceremony of elected Mayan municipal officials in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)   (Associated Press)
US citizen Stephanie Rimmer, 41, holds the baby she plans to adopt at a hotel in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
US citizen Stephanie Rimmer, 41, holds the baby she plans to adopt at a hotel in Guatemala City, Saturday, Nov 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)   (Associated Press)
Cristian, 4, and Geraldine, 3, wait for Britain's Princess Anne to visit the Casa Alianza or Alliance House, an NGO that helps homeless children in Guatemala City, Friday, July 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Cristian, 4, and Geraldine, 3, wait for Britain's Princess Anne to visit the "Casa Alianza" or "Alliance House," an NGO that helps homeless children in Guatemala City, Friday, July 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Rodrigo...   (Associated Press)
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