A western diet, i.e. rich in fast-food, fried, highly processed meat and confectionery, increases a child’s risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), researchers in Australia have shown.
This was reported in the Journal of Attention Disorders.
ADHD, i.e. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is the most common disorder of the developmental age. It affects approximately 3-5 per cent of school-aged children. It is usually diagnosed around the age of 7 years, more often in boys. Due to changes in brain function, children with ADHD cannot control their impulses, behaviour and emotions well. This manifests itself, among other things, in excessive busyness and impulsivity in action. Other symptoms of the disorder are attention problems and absentmindedness. Children with ADHD have problems at school, with their peers, are more prone to addictions, are more likely to use stimulants, have conflicts with the law, but are also more likely to suffer from depression.
Researchers at the Telethon Institute for Child Health in Australia analysed the dietary composition of 1,800 14-year-olds and divided them into two groups – eating healthy or unhealthy, following Western patterns.
A healthy diet is considered to be one that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grain products and fish. It provides the body with more omega-3 fatty acids and folic acid, which are essential for proper brain development and function, and fibre, which has a beneficial effect on metabolism. The Western diet, on the other hand, is largely made up of foods rich in unhealthy fats (such as trans-fats from frying), red and processed meat, salt and sweets. It is more calorific and provides the body with fewer valuable nutrients.
The 115 subjects – 91 boys and 24 girls – were diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 14.
They found that teenagers whose diets were most similar to the Western diet were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD compared to peers who ate healthier, comments study leader Dr Wendy Oddy.
The analysis also looked at various social and family factors that may influence ADHD risk.
According to the authors of the study, teenagers on the most Western-like diet may have less favourable proportions of fatty acids in the body – particularly deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids, which ensure normal brain function and mental health.
It is also possible that such an unhealthy diet does not provide children with adequate amounts of micronutrients on which optimal brain function depends, especially when it comes to concentration and attention. It may also contain increased amounts of colourings, flavourings and additives, which have previously been linked to a higher risk of ADHD symptoms, explains Dr Oddy.
The researcher stresses, however, that it is impossible to assess with certainty from her team’s study whether an unhealthy diet actually contributes to the development of ADHD, or whether ADHD itself promotes the choice of unhealthy food and the satisfaction of personal cravings. It is possible that the impulsivity that characterises children with the disorder leads to unhealthy choices, such as a quick snack at a fast food outlet when feeling hungry, she explains.
According to Dr Oddy, further work is needed to further clarify the nature of this relationship.
The latest research was part of a larger study called the Raine Study, which began in 1989 by inviting 2,900 pregnant women for ultrasound examinations. The women were followed up throughout their pregnancies, and data were collected on such things as diet, physical activity, occupation and the health status of mothers-to-be, as well as fathers-to-be. When the babies were born, their health status was assessed, and further checks were carried out when the children turned one, two, three and five years old. Later, checks were also carried out at eight, 10, 14, 17 and 20 years of age. (PAP)
Source
- https://www.medonet.pl/zdrowie/wiadomosci,zachodnia-dieta-zwiazana-z-adhd,artykul,1621135.html
