Posted on 05/19/2022 9:46:10 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Here's a good reason for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to eat their fruits and vegetables: It may help reduce inattention issues, a new study suggests.
As part of a larger study, researchers asked parents of 134 kids with ADHD symptoms to complete a detailed questionnaire about the typical foods the children ate, including portion sizes, over a 90-day period.
Another questionnaire asked parents to rate symptoms of inattention—a hallmark of ADHD—in their kids, such as having trouble staying focused, not following instructions, difficulty remembering things, and difficulty regulating emotions.
Results showed that kids who consumed more fruits and vegetables showed less severe symptoms of inattention, said Irene Hatsu, co-author.
The data for this research was collected as part of the Micronutrients for ADHD in Youth (MADDY) Study, which examined the efficacy of a 36-ingredient vitamin and mineral supplement to treat symptoms of ADHD and poor emotional control in the 134 kids aged 6 to 12.
The study that evaluated the effectiveness of the supplement showed that children who took the micronutrients were three times as likely to show significant improvement in their ADHD and emotional dysregulation symptoms than those who took a placebo.
…The three studies all paint a similar picture, Hatsu said: A healthy diet that provides all the nutrients that children require can help reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children.
"What clinicians usually do when kids with ADHD start having more severe symptoms is increase the dose of their treatment medication, if they are on one, or put them on medication," Hatsu said.
Researchers believe that ADHD is related to low levels of some neurotransmitters in the brain—and vitamins and minerals play a key role as cofactors in helping the body make those important neurochemicals and in overall brain function, Hatsu said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
I have always believed this was mainly a diet issue. That and kids growing up today with electric devices do not train their brains to focus for long periods of time such as when reading books.
Anything correlated with upper class whites can be shown as ‘healthy’. Anything correlated with poverty will appear ‘unhealthy’
Kids whose parents eat caviar and lobster have fewer problems with ADHD than kids who live withing 4 blocks of a liqueur store.
Yep.
Another dirty secret is that taking 100mg of Vit B-1 is more effective than any anti-depressant. But a B-1 tab only costs a few cents.
Most younger parents I know seem to solely feed their children french fries, mac and cheese, and lunchables.
Dont forget the soda.
This makes me wonder if there’s any truth to the theory that ADD is evolved for hunting.... but it makes even more sense if it’s a result of minerals and essential compounds being out of balance.
I remember Michael Savage (Weiner) advocating this nutritional regimen decades ago.
It may also be not so much WHAT food you eat, it could be what is in or not in the food.
A grad student in poultry science told me years ago that the chemistry of an egg is not the same as it was when I grew up.
This change in food chemistry has an effect on the gut bacteria such that normal flora does not develop properly. If you want to look that subject up there is a ton of literature on it.
Keep artificial additives out of your kid’s diet.
My son was extremely sensitive to artificial vanilla extract. I had to use real vanilla extract or he would literally bounce off the walls.
Had a friend whose son turned into a sadistic monster with Red 40. She could tell every time he got some.
It weird that people are so conscientious about not putting red food coloring in hummingbird food, and feeding their pets natural, no additive pet food, and yet let their kids eat anything without a thought.
If I remember correctly, Charles Manson and several of his gang were basically sugar addicts.
than kids who live withing 4 blocks of a liqueur store... if they live anywhere selling this liqueur they might be okay...
the big thing that makes kids adhd is sugar.
One of my kids had behavior issues at school. What we discovered was that kid had issues controlling blood sugar levels, particularly after being given a high carb breakfast of cereal. Blood sugar would spike and then crash.
Switched to ensuring a high-protein low-carb breakfast of eggs, ham, etc, and things stabilized nicely.
Humans are not designed for high amounts of sugar and processed carbs.
My kids rarely had fast food. It was a special treat. I have always cooked homemade meals from scratch, and so did my mom. I have ADHD (though not diagnosed until adulthood) and two of my kids do too. Always plenty of fruits and vegetables, and a well balanced diet. Maybe it helped all of us to a degree, but I’m not sure this article is telling the whole truth. Good nutrition will always help, but is it solely responsible for better outcomes? I’m not sure.
I was, and my two kids were, stellar students. These two both went on to work in unique areas. One is a neuroscientist. The other is into economics and research. We all have a tendency to think “outside the box”.
I think Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, and Robin Williams (among others) had ADHD, and that being “all over the place” had a hand in their illustrious careers. JMHO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.