Dietary aflatoxins, intelligence and school performance in southern Georgia

In a region of southern Georgia known for poor school performance, the mothers of the mentally retarded children had diets that differed from the average in terms of foods, but did not differ in terms of critical nutrients. The consumption of large amounts of corn, rice, peanuts and milk (foods potentially high in aflatoxins) was significantly related to mental retardation of children in one county having high levels of aflatoxins in the food supply. However, no such relationship was found in a county having trivial levels of aflatoxins in the diet.