• Home
  • Store
    • Newsletter Subscriptions
    • Multimedia Subscriptions
    • Books
    • eBooks
    • ABPN SA Courses
  • CME Center
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Blog
  • Newsletters
    • General Psychiatry
    • Child Psychiatry
    • Addiction Treatment
    • Hospital Psychiatry
    • Geriatric Psychiatry
  • Log In
  • Register
  • Welcome
  • Sign Out
  • Subscribe
Home » Dash Diet for Childhood ADHD

Dash Diet for Childhood ADHD

October 18, 2021
Thomas Jordan, MD.
From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report
Issue Links: Learning Objectives | Editorial Information | PDF of Issue
Thomas Jordan, MD. Dr. Jordan has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.
REVIEW OF: Khoshbakht Y et al, Eur J Nutr 2021;60(7):3647–3658

Dietary approaches for controlling ADHD in children have been studied over many decades, but none have been found to be clearly effective. In a recent study, researchers examined the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which includes several interventions that could be helpful in ADHD: more fruit/vegetable intake, higher essential fatty acids from fish, and foods rich in vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium. The DASH diet also limits the intake of simple sugars, artificial sweeteners, and additives that have been hypothesized to worsen ADHD symptoms.

This randomized controlled trial recruited 80 children with ADHD, ages 6–12, to receive the DASH diet or a control diet for 12 weeks. All but one of the children were boys, and none of the participants had ever used medications or behavioral therapy for ADHD. The control diet was meant to resemble a child’s typical diet and allowed for more refined grains, full-fat dairy products, and simple sugars. All the diets were designed by nutritionists who took into account the child’s individual caloric and nutritional needs. Children and parents were visited monthly over the study period for ADHD assessments and food logs. Researchers measured the severity of ADHD symptoms with various standards scales, including the Abbreviated Conners Scale.

After 12 weeks, the children on the DASH diet improved significantly more than control subjects on most of the scales, including both parent and teacher versions. For example, on the Abbreviated Conners Scale (a 30-point scale), the parent version showed improvements of 4.7 points in the DASH diet group vs 3 points for the intervention group (p = 0.04) while the teacher version showed more impressive improvements—5.3 points for the DASH diet vs 1.9 points for the control (p < 0.001).

A main limitation of this study is that since researchers cannot ethically recommend unhealthy diets for children, the study’s control diet may have been significantly better than what the children were eating before. Moreover, all but one of the children were boys and all the participants were naïve to any medication or behavioral therapy interventions, so the results are difficult to generalize.

CCPR’s Take:
Diet interventions in ADHD have seen less than stellar results, and this study is no exception. Still, the DASH diet includes healthy recommendations regardless of whether they have a significant effect on ADHD, and it may be a good place to start for highly motivated parents who wish to avoid medications. For more information on the DASH diet, see www.dashdiet.org.
Child Psychiatry
KEYWORDS adhd dash-diet diet dietary-approaches-to-stop-hypertension-dash non-pharmacologic treatment
Thomas Jordan, MD.

Does Baclofen Titrated to High Doses Reduce Alcohol Use?

More from this author
www.thecarlatreport.com
Issue Date: October 18, 2021
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Table Of Contents
CME Post-Test - Overarousal in Children and Adolescents, CCPR, October/November/December 2021
Assessing Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents
Unpacking Aggression Associated with ADHD
Tools to Help Kids and Teens to Sleep Better
Using Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Dash Diet for Childhood ADHD
Quetiapine vs First-Generation Antipsychotics for Aggression
Self-Harm in Adolescents With ADHD
A Novel Treatment for Dramatic-Onset Autoimmune OCD or Severe Food ­Restriction?
Note From the Editor-in-Chief
DOWNLOAD NOW
Featured Book
  • CMFB2e_Cover.png

    Child Medication Fact Book for Psychiatric Practice, Second Edition (2023)

    All the important facts covering child and adolescent psychopharmacology.
    READ MORE
Featured Video
  • therapist_canstockphoto9201097.jpg
    General Psychiatry

    Using SAMe In Clinical Practice with Garrett Rossi, MD

    Read More
Featured Podcast
  • teen_depression.jpeg
    Child Psychiatry

    Assessment of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Children and Adolescents

    Learn how to assess and intervene with NSSI, including ideas for supporting autonomy while addressing the behavior.

    Listen now
Recommended
  • Approaches to Autism Intervention

    January 31, 2022
    canstockphoto2240982_child-bubbles_thumb.jpg
  • Currently Available Cannabis Products

    September 1, 2022
  • Interpreting Assessment Discrepancies from Multiple Sources

    October 17, 2022
    ChildAssessment.png
  • Approaches to Autism Intervention

    January 31, 2022
    canstockphoto2240982_child-bubbles_thumb.jpg
  • Currently Available Cannabis Products

    September 1, 2022
  • Interpreting Assessment Discrepancies from Multiple Sources

    October 17, 2022
    ChildAssessment.png
  • Approaches to Autism Intervention

    January 31, 2022
    canstockphoto2240982_child-bubbles_thumb.jpg
  • Currently Available Cannabis Products

    September 1, 2022
  • Interpreting Assessment Discrepancies from Multiple Sources

    October 17, 2022
    ChildAssessment.png

About

  • About Us
  • CME Center
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us

Shop Online

  • Newsletters
  • Multimedia Subscriptions
  • Books
  • eBooks
  • ABPN Self-Assessment Courses

Newsletters

  • The Carlat Psychiatry Report
  • The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report
  • The Carlat Addiction Treatment Report
  • The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report
  • The Carlat Geriatric Psychiatry Report

Contact

info@thecarlatreport.com

866-348-9279

PO Box 626, Newburyport MA 01950

Follow Us

Please see our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Subscription Agreement, Use of Cookies, and Hardware/Software Requirements to view our website.

© 2023 Carlat Publishing, LLC and Affiliates, All Rights Reserved.