Genomic and Epigenomic Insights into Nutrition and Brain Disorders

Abstract

Abstract:The role of diet in the behavior of children has been controversial, but the association of several nutritional factors with childhood behavioral disorders has been continually suggested. We conducted a case-control study to identify dietary patterns associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study included 192 elementary school students aged seven to 12 years. Three non-consecutive 24-h recall (HR) interviews were employed to assess dietary intake, and 32 predefined food groups were considered in a principal components analysis (PCA). PCA identified four major dietary patterns: the "traditional" pattern, the "seaweed-egg" pattern, the "traditional-healthy" pattern, and the "snack" pattern. The traditional-healthy pattern is characterized by a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrates as well as high intakes of fatty acids and minerals. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of ADHD for the highest tertile of the traditional-healthy pattern in comparison with the lowest tertile was 0.31 (95% CI: 0.12-0.79). The score of the snack pattern was positively associated with the risk of ADHD, but a significant association was observed only in the second tertile. A significant association between ADHD and the dietary pattern score was not found for the other two dietary patterns. In conclusion, the traditional-healthy dietary pattern was associated with lower odds having ADHD.

Full Issue PDF

“…Because the "traditional" pattern and the "egg seaweed pattern" did not change risk, the diet's healthy components might be important. There might be some increase in risk with the "snack" pattern (51). Similarly, adherence to a Mediterranean Diet by Spanish children and adolescents was associated with a sevenfold lower risk of ADHD.…”

“…In a Spanish case-control study, ADHD patients had lower calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and phosphorous, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B 6 , and folate intakes than control subjects (52). Similarly, low levels of copper, iron, zinc, and iodine were associated with ADHD in a Korean study (49,51), and certain ADHD symptoms were linked to low levels of magnesium and zinc in Australian adolescents (62). Low zinc was also identified as being associated with ADHD in a case-control study of Chinese children (63).…”

“…Carbohydrate source, quality, and glycemic status should all be considered when addressing their impact on ADHD symptoms (51,53,56,58). Diets high in sugar and snack foods and low in n-3 fats, fruits, vegetables, and grains or lacking in fiber, vitamins, and minerals are associated with increased risk of ADHD.…”

“…Healthy children compared with those with ADHD had overall better diet quality and ingested more cereals, CHO, dietary fiber, protein, and fat (52). Similarly, Korean schoolaged children whose diets were high in CHO, mainly rice, and low in fat were less likely to have ADHD (51).…”

“…The process for wheat has been shown to be faster than that for rice bran defatting (9,34), implying greater feasibility for industrial production with wheat. Air classification of defatted rice bran has also shown the potential to provide slightly enriched protein fractions (27,30,48,51).…”