DR MAX PEMBERTON: Why Joe Wicks is WRONG about diet and the real reason children are getting ADHD
Daily MailFitness coach Joe Wicks has blamed ultra-processed junk food for the explosion of young people being diagnosed with ADHD. There have been a number of double-blind, randomised controlled trials conducted specifically to look at this claim - none of them found a link between sugar intake and children's behaviour. Joe Wicks has blamed his high-sugar childhood diet on his ADHD and behavioural problems It's possible that this myth is based on research into the artificial colouring used in some fizzy drinks and sweets, which have been shown to cause hyperactivity in susceptible children. While it might be reassuring for parents to have labels such as ADHD and to blame hyperactivity on sugar levels - because it offers an apparently biological explanation for a child's behaviour - we know that there are significant social factors at play too. But, as much as I'm a fan of Joe Wicks, it is incorrect for him to blame it for the rising rates of behavioural problems in children.
History of this topic
What Joe Wicks REALLY thinks about ADHD and poor diet - fitness star speaks out after being slammed for linking brain condition to eating 'Wagon Wheels and jam sandwiches'
Daily Mail
Joe Wicks 'could be interested' in Health minister role - as he discusses having more children, how he is addicted to sugar and why he WON'T be doing Dry January
Daily Mail
A new study bolsters evidence that severe obesity is increasing in young kids in the US
Associated PressDiscover Related