Fast-food teen diets tied to ADHD

William Atkins
Sunday, 01 August 2010 01:14

Science - Health

An Australian study has shown that teenagers have over double the risk of getting attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when they eat unhealthy diets of highly processed and fast foods than when they eat healthy diets of fruits and vegetables.

 

The Australian researchers’ goal was to determine if a relationship exists between teenager diets and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

They studied 2,868 cases within the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, from the time of birth of the subjects to an age of 14 years.

The researchers collected data on dietary patterns. They found that of 1,799 adolescents among the final group studied, 115 of them had ADHD—91 males and 24 females.

Two basic types of diets were found among the group: a “Western” diet and a “Healthy” diet.

The “Healthy” diet consisted of primarily whole grains, fish, fruit, and vegetables.

The unhealthy “Western” diet consisted of primarily highly processed, fried, and fast foods. These foods were found to contain high amounts of food additives and artificial flavors and colors (dyes).

Such artificial additives, flavors, and dyes, are thought by scientists to affect the parts of the brain that control concentration and attention.

Page two provides specifics on the study.