More Fruits and Veggies, Fewer ADHD Symptoms?

We all know to eat our fruits and vegetables, and now recent research has revealed yet another benefit of doing so: It may help reduce inattention problems.

Researchers studied 134 children aged six to 12 years with symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and emotional dysregulation (ED). ADHD is a significant public health concern affecting about 7% of children worldwide and up to 10% of children in the United States, and is associated with poor social, academic, and economic outcomes as well as increased risk of hospital admissions and injuries.

The researchers found that children who ate more fruits and vegetables (as measured by total fruit intake on a questionnaire) had less severe signs of inattention.

The study was published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience, and the data was collected as part of a larger study which examined the efficacy of a vitamin and mineral supplement to treat ADHD and poor emotional control symptoms in the 134 children. That study found that the children who took the micronutrients were three times as likely to show significant improvement in their ADHD and ED symptoms than those who took a placebo.

Another study of the same children showed that those from families with higher food insecurity were more likely to show more severe ED symptoms, including chronic irritability, angry moods, and outbursts of anger.

All three studies point to the ability of a healthy diet to provide all the nutrients children require, which can help reduce ADHD and ED symptoms.

“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,” said Irene Hatsu, co-author of the research and assistant professor of human nutrition at the Ohio State University. “Our studies suggest that it is worthwhile to check the children’s access to food as well as the quality of their diet to see if it may be contributing to their symptom severity.”

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, according to Hatsu.

Western diets are more likely than many others, such as the Mediterranean diet, to fall short on fruit and vegetable intake, which makes it important for doctors and medical providers to assess a child’s diet and access to food before changing or creating a treatment program.