"Western" diet linked to ADHD

[Clodfobble]

Leader of Nutrition studies at the Institute, Associate Professor Wendy Oddy, said the study examined the dietary patterns of 1800 adolescents from the long-term Raine Study and classified diets into 'Healthy' or 'Western' patterns.

"We found a diet high in the Western pattern of foods was associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern, after adjusting for numerous other social and family influences," Dr Oddy said

They weren't comparing different nationalities/ethnicities, by the way, all of these kids were Australian. Eating crap makes your body and your brain sick, people, it's just a fact.

link

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Eating crap makes your body and your brain sick, people, it's just a fact.

This is such a patently obvious fact that I go so far as to say that anyone who disagrees with this is an idiot.

[Pico and ME]

And yet I'd go as far to say that at least 60% of us eat crap on a regular basis.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Pico and ME

And yet I'd go as far to say that at least 60% of us eat crap on a regular basis.

85% of all medical issues are caused by . . .

[HungLikeJesus]

That's why, when I get a Wendy's double Baconator large combo, I have them leave off the mayonnaise.

[Undertoad]

The mayo is fine, for a "non-western diet" you need them to leave off the buns.

[HungLikeJesus]

I'm thinking next time I might get it without the bacon.

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Eating crap makes your body and your brain sick, people, it's just a fact.

[livingproof] that's true [/livingproof]

[Sundae]

I'm sure it raises any health risk.
But my (maternal) Uncle and my brother were very picky eaters.
And by picky I mean would barely eat anything, especially not fruit or vegetables.

They improved slightly after meeting their respective wives, but spent their childhood eating sweets and biscuits.

I know this is like giving the example of the old person in the family who lived to 102 smoking and drinking every day (definitely NOT a case in my family - the heavy smokers went first, those who drank with it shortly after). And I'm not suggesting the plural of individual experience is data. I just know that not every child with an eating issue ends up with ADHD.

On the flip side, I do believe the same psychological issue plagued both my Uncle and my brother. So the cause and effect of developing ADHD would not have been relevant in their case anyway.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I just know that not every child with an eating issue ends up with ADHD.

The other issue at play here is that the science of epigenetics is showing more and more clearly that certain types of damage builds up over generations. I know you've mentioned that your brother has no children; how about your maternal Uncle?

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by Flint

This is such a patently obvious fact that I go so far as to say that anyone who disagrees with this is an idiot.

Yeah, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know this. It's frightening how much damage you can do with crap food. Along with obvious behavioural issues, a junk food diet gives you a huge risk of bowel cancer due to the lack of fibre and other essential nutrients.

The shame of it is for us over here is that it's cheaper to eat junk food than it is to eat fresh whole foods, which is why we have such a problem.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

The mayo is fine, for a "non-western diet" you need them to leave off the buns.

Well, that, plus un-process the meat, cut it by 2/3rds or make it white meat, and quadruple the amount of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.

[HungLikeJesus]

Now I know you're all crazy, especially Clodfobble.

[Rhianne]

The thing is, eating junk food isn't cheaper than eating fresher, tastier stuff. Go into any large store and see what size bag of apples/bananas/whatever-common-fruit-or-veg-you-like you can buy for the price of a couple of burgers.

[Clodfobble]

The problem is, people try to compare one-to-one on that sort of thing. Like in Food, Inc., they followed the family into the grocery store where they lamented that this one head of lettuce was a buck fifty, and that was "way too expensive"--because their plan was to also buy meat, and buns, and cheese, and ketchup, and only eat one leaf of lettuce each on their "homemade, healthy" burgers. But that one head of lettuce would have fed all of them practically by itself, if their plan had been to make giant salads instead.