Want To Improve IQ? Eat Chocolate
By Shareen Han

Brunei-Muara - Proper nutrition, regular exercise and sufficient sleep will raise students' intelligence quotient (IQ), and subsequently their academic performance, a teacher from Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College said.

Chris Rockwell, who spoke during the National English Language Teaching Conference, said that chocolate is "incredibly good for students."

He cited a study in the United Kingdom, whereby researchers discovered that one's IQ will improve for two to three hours after drinking a cup of cocoa, thus bringing benefits for students who are taking examinations.

Dark chocolate, which contains flavanols, can improve the blood flow in the brain, while blueberries dilate brain pillaries, resulting in a better flow of the brain, he said at the conference which took place at the Civil Service Institute.

"Our brains are hard wired to be addicted to fat, salt and sugar, which can then cause obesity," he said during his talk entitled `Raising a genius: Diet, Sleep and Exercise for Academic Performance.'

He said that 70 per cent of one's IQ is inherited from both parents, while 30 per cent is the part where IQ can be manipulated to raise their IQ.

Moreover, sleep is crucial for memory consolidation as a human being needs five cycles of sleep, or part of what they learnt will be lost if they miss one cycle, he said.

Meanwhile, Elaine Anderson, another presenter at the conference, said that one of the most important things a parent should do is to show them how important it is to read.

"Speech, reading and writing are all closely linked," she said, adding that reading begins with speaking and hearing.

The teacher from Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Secondary School, Mentiri, said that speech is a major form of communication that helps children to name and order what they see, feel and do, as well as make sense of the world.

"Speech is not usually taught, but reading needs to be taught," she added.

She noted that people do not read because they see reading as boring, do not see the value of reading, do not like the chosen reading materials or they have other priorities, such as using the Internet.

"One of the most important factors in encouraging children to read is seeing people around them reading," she said. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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