Food has an impact on our health, but also on that of unborn children. The pregnant women who eat a diet high in fat, sugar and processed foods have a higher risk of having a hyperactive child, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Researchers at King’s College of London in the UK conducted a study with 83 children who showed early behavioral disturbances or hyperactive disorders, and 81 children with a calmer temperament to understand the correlations between hyperactivity and industrial-type food rich in sugar and fat.
The attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in France concern 3 and 5% of school-age children and more frequently affect boys than girls (2 to 3 boys for 1 girl).
Diet during pregnancy would protect children from hyperactivity
By analyzing their mothers’ diets during pregnancy, the scientists noticed that the children most at risk of behavioral disorders had been exposed in utero to a diet rich in industrial, processed, fatty and sweet products.
“The results of the study showed that a poor prenatal diet was associated with a gene, IGF2,” says Dr. Edward Barker, author of the study.
However, a high level of IGF2 has also been associated with symptoms of ADHD higher between the ages of 7 and 13, but only for children who showed behavioral disturbances very quickly.
“These results suggest that a healthy prenatal diet may decrease ADHD symptoms and behavioral problems in children. It is encouraging to know that nutritional and epigenetic risk factors can be changed. We must now look at the more specific types of food. For example, what fats (the omega-3 fatty acids, fish, nuts) eat for the neural development of the child, ”concludes Dr. Baker.
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