Unhealthy diets during pregnancy ‘increases children’s ADHD risk’

Women who eat high-fat, high-sugar diets during pregnancy could be increasing the risk of their children developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This is according to new research from King's College London and the University of Bristol, which assessed 83 children with early-onset conduct problems and compared them to 81 children who had low levels of conduct problems.

It was found that poor prenatal nutrition, comprising high fat and sugary diets of processed food and confectionery, was associated with higher IGF2 methylation – a gene involved in foetal growth and the brain development of areas implicated in ADHD.

This underlines the importance of maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy, as well as highlighting the fact that nutritional and epigenetic risk factors can be changed.

Future research will look at more specific types of nutrition, including fats such as omega 3, to see how they affect neural development more specifically.

Dr Edward Barker from King's College London said: "'We already know that nutritional supplements for children can lead to lower ADHD and conduct problems, so it will be important for future research to examine the role of epigenetic changes in this process."

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