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High fat and sugar diet can lead to ADHD in children
An unhealthy diet during pregnancy could influence a child’s risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study warns.
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Poor prenatal nutrition, comprising high fat and sugar diets of processed food and confectionery, was shown to be associated with higher levels of a gene involved in foetal growth and the brain development of areas implicated in ADHD.
The study appears in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Early onset conduct problems and ADHD are the leading causes of child mental health referral in the United Kingdom and the US.
Behavior may be aggressive, such as threatening or harming other people or animals, or nonaggressive, such as causing deliberate damage to the property of others. More than 40 per cent of children with a diagnosis of behavioural problems also have a diagnosis of ADHD in the UK.
The Guardian reported that this research effort may be the first ever to suggest that an unhealthy diet during pregnancy can lead to changes in the DNA of an unborn baby which could then result to brain modification in the unborn child and eventual ADHD after birth.
Specifically, the researchers looked at how each mother’s nutritional choices affected DNA methylation of a gene called IGF2. DNA methylation is an epigenetic process by which methyl groups are added to DNA, altering gene function.
To assess this possible association, the team analyzed data of 164 children and their mothers who were part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children – also known as the “Children of the 90s” project.
They compared about 83 kids with early behavioral problems with 81 kids with less behavioral problems.
A new study from the King’s College in London and the University of Bristol reinforces how important it is for women to follow a healthy diet while they are pregnant. Higher IGF2 methylation was also associated with higher ADHD symptoms between the ages of seven and 13, but only for children who showed an early onset of behavioural problems such as lying or fighting.
Dr Edward Barker from King’s College London said, “Our finding that poor prenatal nutrition was associated with higher IGF2 methylation highlights the critical importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy”.
Barker, who is from King’s College London, added that their findings suggest that ADHD symptoms and conduct problems in children can be decreased by a healthy diet during pregnancy.
“DNA methylation can influence how a person’s genetic make-up might affect their development, in response to risk exposures including poor nutrition”, Barker said. Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish and some vegetable oils can have a protective effect on brain development.
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The research also points to the need to examine more specific types of nutrition, Barker said.