Fruit and vegetable intake is inversely associated with severity of inattention in a pediatric population with ADHD symptoms: the MADDY Study

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition that is present in 8-10% of the US pediatric population, defined by hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention, and is often linked to emotional dysregulation (ED) presented in Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. A multitude of etiologies exists for ADHD, however, the severity of its symptoms was found to be related to dietary intake. In this randomized control trial by Robinette et al. (2022), the authors investigated the links between dietary quality, ADHD, and symptoms of ED, in a pediatric population of 134 children (6-12 years of age) with established diagnoses of ADHD and ED. Study participants had their dietary quality evaluated using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), while their symptoms of ADHD and ED were evaluated through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-5. Data analysis revealed that dietary quality (HEI scores) were not substantially responsible for ADHD and ED symptoms, except for fruit and vegetable intake, which was found to significantly decrease inattention symptoms. The authors comment that the observed lack in the impact of diet could be explained by an already-existing good dietary baseline in the study participants, in addition to the mild nature of the severity of their symptoms, the small sample size, and the potential errors in estimating dietary consumption. In summary, the authors postulate that dietary consumption may improve inattention suffered by children with ADHD and ED, where a lower intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with an increase in attention severity, however, the cross-sectional analysis does not establish causality. [NPID: ADHD, dietary quality, Healthy Eating Index, children, disruptive mood dysregulation, emotional dysregulation, inattention, mental health, oppositional defiant disorder]

Year: 2022

Reference: Robinette, L. M., Hatsu, I. E., Johnstone, J. M., Tost, G., Bruton, A. M., Leung, B., Odei, J. B., Orchard, T., Gracious, B. L., & Arnold, L. E. (2022). Fruit and vegetable intake is inversely associated with severity of inattention in a pediatric population with ADHD symptoms: the MADDY Study. Nutritional neuroscience, 1–10. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2022.2071805