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FRIDAY, April 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Children with more attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms may be at higher risk for an unhealthy diet, but diet quality does not appear to affect ADHD risk, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Nutrition<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Annemiek Mian, from Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues examined the association between dietary patterns and ADHD symptoms using data from 3,680 school-aged children participating in the Generation R Study. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist when children were 6 and 10 years of age, while dietary intake was assessed at the age of 8 years with a validated food-frequency questionnaire.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that more ADHD symptoms at age 6 years were associated with a lower diet quality score at age 8 years. However, diet quality at age 8 years was not associated with ADHD symptoms at age 10 years. A unidirectional relation from ADHD symptoms to diet quality, but not vice versa, was detected using cross-lagged models. Associations were similar regardless of overweight status or gender.<\/p>\n
“If our results are replicated, health care professionals working with children with ADHD should be aware of the potential risk for these children to develop unhealthy diets,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
One author disclosed financial ties to the nutrition industry.<\/p>\n