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The effect of dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms: A randomized controlled clinical trial
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which is low in simple sugars and high in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and vitamin C, may help reduce the symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this study by Khoshbakht et al. (2021) was to assess, for the first time, how a DASH diet affected attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children aged 6 to 12. For 12 weeks, children were randomized to either follow a control diet or the DASH diet. The 10-item Abbreviated Conner’s Scale (ACS), the 18-item Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham (SNAP-IV) scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used to measure the severity of ADHD symptoms every four weeks. After adjusting for confounders, the DASH diet group showed significantly greater improvements compared to the control group in several ADHD-related measures, namely ACS scores, hyperactivity scores (SNAP-IV, parent, teacher, and child reports), emotional symptoms (SDQ) & total SDQ scores. Furthermore, the DASH group showed better outcomes in teacher-reported conduct problems, peer relationship issues, and prosocial behaviors compared to the control group. The authors come to the conclusion that a DASH diet could aid youngsters with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Future randomized controlled trials with larger, more diverse participant groups and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these findings. [NPID: Attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity; Children; DASH; Diet; Dietary approaches to stop hypertension; Randomized controlled clinical trial]
Year: 2021
