Eating fruits, vegetables can reduce inattention issues in kids: Study
Colombo (US), May 25: Eating fruits and vegetables can help children reduce inattention issues, suggests a study whose findings have been published in the journal, 'Nutritional Neuroscience'.
During the 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 their children's symptoms of inattention, which is a hallmark of ADHD, such as difficulty staying focused, not following instructions, difficulty remembering things, and difficulty regulating emotions.
According to Irene Hatsu, co-author of the study and associate professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University, children who consumed more fruits and vegetables had less severe symptoms of inattention.
"Eating a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, may be one way to reduce some of the symptoms of ADHD," Hatsu added.
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The data for this study came from the Micronutrients for ADHD in Youth (MADDY) Study, which looked at the efficacy of a 36-ingredient vitamin and mineral supplement in treating ADHD symptoms and poor emotional control in 134 children aged 6 to 12.
The study that evaluated the supplement's effectiveness found that children who took the micronutrients were three times more likely than those who took a placebo to show substantial improvement in their ADHD and emotional dysregulation symptoms. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry last year.
Hatsu further said that 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 added.
"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."
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-PTC News
