Joe Wicks says junk food causes ADHD

He's not very bright, is he?

This study was interesting. A link between sugar and children's behaviour is often more due to parents' perceptions than reality: Does sugar make children hyperactive? - BBC Future

Dd has adhd she was raised on a low suger fresh cooked diet still has it she lives off veg always has tons of it

Ds adhd and autism slightly more upfs growing up but not massive suger intake still adhd

Ds2 autistic arfrid most likely adhd too has zero behaviour difficulties in fact he is so chilled out another child throws tables around ds2 simply wanders away zero rush has been known to have a high suger diet because he weights so little but potentially ADHD three children three different diets in the same home with the same/similar difficulties

I most likely do have adhd never been diagnosed but I tick all the boxes my father most likely has autism he ticks all those boxes too we were both raised in a time before many upfs my mother refused ping meals and suger was something not tolerated in our house growing up (nor salt) controversially I didn't add suger to my child's cornflakes growing up and they don't add it now

Joe wicks needs to leave it to the professionals and stop jumping on overloaded bandwagons

Joe Wicks is not an ADHD expert. He is rather hard of thinking and should stick to what he does know.

Research has shown that the genes for adhd can vary in their expression depending on the environment. So a poor environment - say drug use, poverty, poor diet may mean these genes may be expressed as Schizophrenia. In a nice Mn family the same genes may mean manageable ADHD that can be medicated leading to successful individuals. We have the full gamut in our wider family. Successfully very academic individuals & drug induced Schizophrenia. ADHD can predispose to a chaotic behaviour/lifestyle & a consequent effect on family life.

@ASighMadeOfStone so he is a twat because he helped a lot of people keep fit both physically and mentally during lockdown and he is a twat because he says junk food can have an impact on behaviour

I expect he'll have a book out about it soon.

"Joe Wickes, give your kid a banana while I laugh all the way to the bank because I told you to"

He never said it causes ADHD though!

That’s just a clickbait title.

The correct question to ask is ‘Is it ADD or trauma response?’

The family court system puts the rights of the parents above the needs of the children. My experience has been that my children have been traumatized by their father’s emotional abuse of me. This looks a lot like ADD because trauma over a sustained period causes inattention issues and anxiety.

The food does impact the effect ADD but running has been a massive game changer for myself and my children. It’s the only thing that clears my head and my elder two children are medicated now but the medication works better when they run at least 3 miles a day.

some people are happy to accept that some things eg fish oils can help with brain development and concentration etc but aren’t open to the fact that perhaps some foods/substances may have a negative impact?

I think he’s worded it badly and been insensitive. I have a child with ASD, ARFID and ADHD and he does seem to have some dietary triggers for certain behavioural issues and also tics so I’m open to the idea that diet can play a part but it definitely isnt the cause.

Joe Wickes, the gift that keeps on giving.

From his pick me pick me bandwaggoning during COVID to this.

He really is an expert on everything isn't he.

I do find he's a useful twatometer when meeting new people though. Anyone who says "we loved lockdown, jumping up and down to Joe Wickes" immediately gets a wide berth.

From what I can see he is saying it can impact behaviour not actually cause ADHD.

I mean, there may well be specialists among us but even if nobody is qualified, at this point in time there is no scientific evidence to say diet causes ADHD.

Does diet impact on the physical and mental health and behaviour of every person, regardless of whether or not they have ADHD? Yes.

100% this.

For what it's worth (and sorry about my username given the topic - it's a song reference) Joe does a lot of good work, he was talking about his own experience and in his defence, I don't think he proclaims to be an expert. He should probably be a little more careful about how his words could be misconstued due to the profile he has. I agree with him to some extent - UPF is not good for our bodies and our gut health is linked to our brain and overall health.

I'm sorry OP, I realise that someone who has ADHD, or is a parent of a child with ADHD is likely to have an emotional response to anything that implies that it may be their fault, so sensitivity in discussing this is needed.

I don't feel the JW states that certain foods cause ADHD. His actual words state that his personal experience is that his, and children's behaviour in general is affected by a heavily sugar-laden diet, and that he passionately feels, and indeed research backs up, that people, especially children, can improve behaviour and concentration and mitigate the symptoms of ADHD, and potentially avoid being medicated by adopting a good diet. This shouldn't offend anyone, if anything people might be encouraged by his story and research showing that small changes can have a big impact.

There are a couple of things that wind me up about Joe Wicks, I'm not a fan of all that 'midget tree' talk etc., but that's on me, I have a low annoyance threshold. I also feel that he implies his incredible physique is down to a few jumping jacks and burpees, he clearly lifts heavy and eats a lot more than his cookbook meals. But he's a force for good in the world, and people that hate his message are quite possibly in denial and making excuses for their own inaction.

@WilmaFlintstone1 you clearly didn't read the article because he didn't say that diet causes ADHD 🙄

I think for some people, a lot sugar and processed foods probably don't help, or even exacerbate ADHD symptoms?

That doesn't mean diet causes adhd

I do also think other factors of a modern lifestyle exacerbate adhd. Excessive screen time, lack of exercise & time outdoors, diet, over stimulation from a sensory perspective etc

We'd be mad to think these things aren't contributing to the rise in people for whom ADHD is materially impairing their ability to function.

Ooh so Jow Wicks with plenty of cash and the ability to pay people to cook from scratch for his family blames processed food for ADHD.

Meanwhile back in the real world the rest of us cobble together meals after a full day of work and clearly cause ADHD in our kids.

Oh wait….no …I’m approaching 60 and my Mum cooked from scratch. I have ADHD ….diagnosed 20 years ago. Wonder what Joe would blame that on.

Twat.

i seem to recall he became a breastfeeding guru after the birth of his first child too.

Mansplaining how it worked etc like some fucking messiah.

Dickhead.

If you read the article, he's not actually saying a bad diet causes ADHD at all.

He's musing about whether there might be a link between diet and the symptoms of ADHD getting worse.

ADHD genes are inherited, not caused by unhealthy food. Having said that there is a big rise in the number of kids being diagnosed according to our local clinic. And they don't believe it's purely down to increased awareness. So there is something out there that's causing this rise. Food may be a factor. Or something in the environment.

On the flip side, what qualifications do all the posters saying there's definitely no link have, I wonder?

Yes, upf bad for us but my adhd was genetic, my mother's family are riddled with milder spectrum "disorders" and they grew up on a farm. Not a hormone in the beef, not a pesticide on the the leeks and courgettes. I'm v healthy too. An obsession of mine!
Why do people day these things 🙄

Yes I wonder what qualifications and post grad research he has done on this? Fuck all I'd guess.

I prefer science not musings

And has zero impact on her physical health?

Junk food clearly doesn't "cause" ADHD. However, a rubbish, sugar-filled, ultra-processed diet does result in children displaying some similar (albeit temporary and reversible) symptoms e.g. the sugar highs cause hyperactivity and the lows can cause inattentiveness. Friends who are primary school teachers have noted parents pushing for an ADHD diagnosis when, in some cases though absolutely not all, the cause may actually be in the child's diet and home routine.