Narrator: This is Science Today. Is there a direct correlation between the health of schoolchildren and school performance? For years, health professionals have advised parents and teachers to make sure kids sleep well, eat breakfast and get enough exercise.

Taras : People repeat these things over and over again and the question is – is it true? I mean, do we know, do we not know or maybe it's been actually proven that it has nothing do to with how they'll achieve in school.

Narrator: Dr. Howard Taras, a pediatrician at the University of California , San Diego School of Medicine, was tapped by the National Coordinating Committee on School Health to review previous studies on the relationship between school performance and various health concerns. Taras found there is a strong connection.

Taras : We did these studies so that we can find out what it is that we know where health affects performance. Doctors didn't have to know that so much because we are not there to help school performance, primarily. That's a secondary benefit. We are there to help with health. But we now have an ally for certain health problems in the schools.

Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.