As more studies are conducted on ADHD treatments, evidence supporting good nutrition continues to mount. Research has linked ADHD symptoms to low levels of fatty acids and to food allergies.

"It is prudent to consider nutrition as one of the first aspects of treatment, be it as an alternative treatment or used in [conjunction] with pharmaceutical drugs. To summarize, one should modify the diet in such a way that it contains a judicious mix of proteins, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. Processed foods and simple sugars should be eliminated from the diet." [Source: Natural Holistic Health]

A healthy diet may not be the only treatment an ADHD child needs, but it can certainly help reduce symptoms and balance his energy level throughout the day.

Labels: nutrition

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High-fat diets may disrupt the body's natural daily rhythms, leading to hormone imbalances, obesity, sleep disorders, and cancer, according to a new animal study performed at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Dr. Oren Froy and his team fed mice low- or high-fat diets, with every other day as a fasting day. The mice on the high-fat diets experienced disruptions in their sleep/wake cycles and other 24-hour systems associated with metabolism.

Dr. Froy believes that that a high-fat diet not only puts a person at risk for overweight because it is high in calories, but also because it interrupts "natural circadian rhythmicity."

This study appears in the journal Endocrinology.

Labels: nutrition, sleep, diet

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A team of Spanish researchers tested fruit drinks and found the highest levels of pesticide residue in those from Spain and the United Kingdom. The United States and Russia had the lowest levels.

Dr. Antonio Molina-Diaz and his colleagues performed laboratory tests on 100 fruit-based drinks from 15 countries, as part of a larger effort to determine the effect of pesticide-containing foods on children.

This study appears in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

Labels: nutrition, diet, fruit-drinks

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Spikes in blood sugar can cause memory problems, according to a new study from Columbia Medical Center. Researchers believe that since the ability to regulate blood sugar lessens with age, their study could explain why it becomes harder to form new memories once you reach age 40 or so.

However, the results of this study also have implications for overweight children and teenagers at risk for Type 2 diabetes. Dr. Scott Small, author of the study, said that an overweight young person is not only at risk for heart disease and metabolic disorders, but also impairment of cognitive abilities.

"Whether they will be able to keep up with the demands of education and a fast-paced complex society - that's the part that scares me," he said.

Dr. Small and his colleagues first studied glucose levels in mice and monkeys to determine a connection with brain functions, and then used magnetic resonance imagining on 240 elderly volunteers.

This study appears in the Annals of Neurology.

Labels: nutrition, brain_activity, sugar

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A study of 1,800 children in Perth, Australia, found that those who eat "western-style" diets were twice as likely to have symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder compared to those who eat healthy diets.

A western-style diet was made up of highly processed foods, more likely to be fried and made in a restaurant.

Professor Wendy Oddy and her colleagues found that teenagers who ate healthy diets of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and fish were less likely to have symptoms of ADHD. They were not sure if children with ADHD tend to make poor diet choices, or if processed foods aggravate or cause symptoms.

The study appears in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

Labels: nutrition, diet, symptoms

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Previous studies have found that kids with ADHD can benefit from eating and restricting certain types of foods. Most of those studies focused on diet plans to help with ADHD-related symptoms such as lack of attention and impulsivity.

But a new study out of the Netherlands has found that eliminating certain foods can also help ADHD kids sleep better.

“The 15 children who followed the elimination diet showed an overall 4.6 times greater reduction than the other 12 children in all physical and sleep problems; overall complaints were reduced by 77% in the elimination diet group, versus only 17 percent in the control group.” - Source: FYI Living

Kids who were fed and elimination diet were only fed hypoallergenic food including turkey, rice, lettuce, carrots, pears, beets and water.

 

Labels: impulsivity, nutrition, diet

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