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Dietary and nutrient status of children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder: a case-control study
Since dietary and nutritional habits may affect children’s behaviors and learning, this 2018 study investigated the dietary habits and nutrient profiles of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and compared these outcomes with healthy controls. The 42 patients with ADHD and the 36 healthy children were interviewed and administered with a food frequency questionnaire (examines dietary intake). The results indicated that the diets of the ADHD-diagnosed children consisted of a higher proportion of refined grains, and lower ratios of dairy, calcium, and vitamin B-2, compared with the control children. The composite dietary/nutrient score generated by logistic regression models were strongly correlated with the severity of ADHD clinical symptoms. Moreover, patients with ADHD could be distinguished from the healthy controls, based on their composite scores. Chou et al. therefore concluded that ADHD children and healthy controls showed different dietary patterns. Since dietary and nutrient factors may play a role in the pathophysiology of ADHD, clinicians may take into account children’s eating habits and intakes of specific nutrients when assessing for ADHD. [NPID: cognition, ADHD, calcium, vitamin B2]
Year: 2018
