ADHD Linked to the Western Diet

Research now confirms what our Latitudes.org readers have known all along – that diet can impact brain function. The study results were published in the Journal of Attention Disorders. This research is an important step toward wider understanding of this issue among conventional practitioners.

In an Australian study, dietary patterns of 1800 adolescents were examined. Dietary patterns were considered either “healthy” or “Western.”

The lead researcher reported: “We found a diet high in the Western pattern of foods was associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern, after adjusting for numerous other social and family influences. . . An ADHD diagnosis was associated with a diet high in takeaway (fast) foods,  In addition to causing a poor fatty acid balance, it was pointed out that a Western dietary may not provide enough essential micronutrients for proper brain function. Of course this diet also contains more artificial colors, flavors, and additives that have been linked to an increase in ADHD symptoms. Study abstract