Joe Wicks says junk food causes ADHD

He actually talks a lot of sense. He makes very valid points in the article so I don't think you can call him thick!

@ProncessDiana nope.
ADHD exists

Are you going to be a nuisance on this thread just to get attention?

Have you read the article? He didn't actually say that it causes it

I'm a psychiatrist.

He's not entirely wrong (although he's right for the wrong reasons)

Junk food, video games, screen time, and any other high reward/instant gratification type activity causes a huge dump of dopamine into the brain.

Over time the brain will start to down regulate and remove its dopamine receptors so it's not constantly over stimulated.

A lack of dopamine or the ability to detect it is essentially the root cause of ADHD. Except ADHD itself is probably neuro developmental rather than acquired.

It is perfectly possible to give yourself an ADHD type syndrome by doing these things for long periods, but we wouldn't necessarily think of it as ADHD as such.

It would very likely be reversible if you stopped doing all the high stimulus things, but extreme exposure during childhood may well mean the brain is irreversibly changed from what it would otherwise have looked like.

And as someone else said, these things would definitely make pre-existing ADHD worse

(Yes, I realise this is an incredibly over simplified version!)

I think you are the one that 'jumped the shark'! None of Joe Wicks' quotes within the DM article are actually saying this.

So much pseudoscience crap in ‘wellness’

He’s thick, I think we can just ignore him.

I find it interesting that so many people agree that some foods are beneficial for your health, but won't consider that the opposite is also true.

This.

Poor Joe is a tall poppy.

Some unnecessary nastiness on this thread.

Joe also lives in America and other countries part-time, where red dye and e numbers are not regulated in the same way. There are a lot of children in the US who suffer the ill-effects of diets containing these, and I would assume he is referencing those studies in a roundabout and dumb way.

I have friends whose children were able to stop taking Ritalin in America when they went to an unprocessed diet. The constant consumption of junk in even the healthiest "snack foods" was disrupting their health, behaviour and sleep cycles to the point that giving them Ritalin was the only medical answer. I know how life-changing ADHD meds can be, but in the US, they are over-prescribed.

the body of the article isn’t saying junk food causes ADHD it is saying that it can be linked to behavioural issues.

I think it fair, it is proven that certain foods are good and bad for your mental and physical health.

He also calls broccoli, ‘midget trees’. Ignore him.

Caffeine sends my teen to sleep. That throws people off, sending teen to bed having an espresso but I’d rather a cup of coffee than dosing with melatonin.

I am one of the hordes of, ahem, middle aged women who believe they have undiagnosed ADHD. This predates all the TikTok nonsense, which I don't watch anyway. I discovered relatively recently that my love of caffeine isn't because it makes me feel bouncy and hyper, but because it makes me feel calm and, if I'm already tired, it will help me sleep. I honestly didn't notice before, except to wonder why people talked about needing their morning coffee to help them wake up - because it never, ever worked for me. I'm drinking a coffee now and feel as though my brain has slowed down and my current ear worm (Lola - The Kinks😆) has faded into the background a bit!

What he has done, is probably opened up a national discussion, that is not without merit.

This bloke will try anything to stay relevant, and here we are, discussing him like he matters.

I have an ADHD teen and good diet absolutely can improve symptoms and functioning - just like it can with every other health issue - diet isn’t a cure but it helps.

there’s a lot of things about ADHD that many don’t realise.

the dopamine seeking behaviour is huge. My teen seeks the dopamine high from eating sugar. I bake cookies and cakes and flapjacks with real sugar and fruit and butter and chocolate. I choose wisely and avoid products with certain E numbers because the do have a negative effect. Thankfully in the U.K. the E numbers that have an adverse effect on kids and adhd are limited but the do exist. Our local American candy store is a nightmare for DC who wants it all!

the only sugar free products we use is sugar free cordials because ADHD teen also has sensory issues and won’t drink water. Any drink is better than no drink. A dehydrated kid is a monster we do not want to unleash.

forgetting to eat is a huge issue with adhd. Even more so when medicated.
I make sure meals are as rounded as possible with high protein for good blood sugar control and try to limit binging of carbs. Which happens when you’ve gone all day without eating because the meds suppress your appetite and adhd hyper focus means you forget to eat.

Caffeine sends my teen to sleep. That throws people off, sending teen to bed having an espresso but I’d rather a cup of coffee than dosing with melatonin.

on a related note we all feel awful on junk/UPF/low nutrient Foods. We have brain fog, sluggishness, irritability/anxious feelings, trouble sleeping, exhaustion. All of this can mimic many adhd symptoms and this can be resolved with better diet.

so yes anyone with adhd should fix their diet first to filter through what symptoms are caused or made worse by diet and which will need other treatments such as medication. Food can improve things if done right.

but it doesn’t cause it. Diet is part of the whole treatment plan.

I have found my tribe! Joe Wicks is a self satisfied mouthy gobshite and Jamie Oliver is another one

You clearly didn't read the article 🙄

Don't forget getting his wife's body back to pre-pregnancy fitness! And showing us, so we can all drool over how heroic he is to have done that for her.
He's virtually a saint when it comes to showing women what they need to know and do.
The term mansplaining could have been coined for him.

I don't think it's the cause of adhd but I think junk food, especially artificial additives, can cause hyperactivity which would make adhd symptoms worse and may present temporary adhd like symptoms.
I read a theory that adhd may be caused by birth trauma as the baby goes into survival mode which can affect brain development. My ds hasn't been diagnosed but he certainly presents with adhd like symptoms and did have a traumatic birth and special care for a few weeks.

Oh look, a brainless man not understanding neurological conditions. What a surprise.

Our food is fucked and is definitely affecting us. How exactly and what is dangerous vs what is not would need some proper research. But it’s not in the interest of Industry to do that research so it won’t be done.

But people who think just because it’s for sale means it’s safe to eat, are fools.

Honestly I haven't read it, but my eldest has adhd and her diet does impact her mood/behaviour. Any kid plied with sugar and processed food will be impacted by it but from my own (very limited) experience it is more noticeable in my eldest than the younger too.

In response to the headline, I have no scientific background or evidence to back it up but think the causation argument is bullshit.