Child's diet could impact ADHD symptoms, study suggests

BOSTON - A new study suggests a child's diet could have an impact on their ADHD symptoms.

ADHD affects up to 10-percent of U.S. children. Symptoms include trouble focusing on tasks and difficulty following instructions which affect a child's behavior at school and at home. 

For some time, scientists have suspected that certain foods in a child's diet could make ADHD symptoms either better or worse. In this study, researchers at Ohio State University studied 134 children ages 6 to 12 with ADHD who were not on medication. They found that the kids who ate fewer fruits and vegetables were more likely to have more severe symptoms of inattention. That said, the study was small and larger studies are needed before families assume a change in diet is all that a child needs to treat their ADHD.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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