ADHD linked to poorer eating habits: Study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJul 29 2010

A new study by researchers in Perth has linked attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with “western-style” diets in teenage sufferers. For the study the Telethon Institute for Child Health and Research examined the diets of 1,800 adolescents, categorizing them as either eating a healthy mix of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish or the “western-style” highly-processed, fried and take-away foods. The latter contained more food additives, flavors or colors, which could lead to hyperactivity or changes to chemicals that control parts of the brain dealing with attention and concentration say researchers.

According to the Institute's leader of nutrition studies, Associate Professor Wendy Oddy, the link could go either way. It could be that poor diet leads to aggravation of ADHD and also that ADHD leads to poor diet choices. Dr. Oddy said, “We looked at the dietary patterns amongst the adolescents and compared the diet information against whether or not the adolescent had received a diagnosis of ADHD by the age of 14 years.” Among the children interviewed 115 teenagers had ADHD. Other factors like the family's financial situation, whether the mother smoked while pregnant and the amount of food the teenagers ate and the exercise they did were also taken into account.

Dr. Oddy explained that, “When we looked at specific foods, having an ADHD diagnosis was associated with a diet high in takeaway foods, processed meats, red meat, high fat dairy products and confectionary…We suggest that a Western dietary pattern may indicate the adolescent has a less optimal fatty acid profile, whereas a diet higher in omega-3 fatty acids is thought to hold benefits for mental health and optimal brain function.” The absence of micronutrients in these diets could result in “suboptimal” brain function in teenagers, the report states.

The results, which will be published in the Journal of Attention Disorders and is currently online, showed teenagers who lived on a diet of highly-processed foods more than doubled their risk of being diagnosed with ADHD compared to healthy eaters.