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The Danger Of Linking ADHD To Eating Habits

Cara-Louise Scott

Cara-Louise Scott

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Joe Wicks said the surge in childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses is linked to poor diets and processed food.

ADHD is a condition that affects 2.6 million people of all ages. It is no surprise that Wick’s controversial comment sparked outrage as it reinforces misinformation about the real causes and struggles of the condition.

Joe Wicks’ Comments

Joe Wicks, who has sold over two million cookbooks, believes that if he were a child in 2024, he likely would have been diagnosed with ADHD. He says his poor behaviour at school was caused by the food he ate at home.

He said: “I was never diagnosed with ADHD, but I think nowadays it’s this common thing that every child seems to be being diagnosed. And I think a lot of it can stem back to the diet and foods we’re eating.” He explicitly named sugary cereal, concentrated juices, chocolate bars, and Nutella sandwiches problematic.

“Children are struggling to focus, gaining weight, and having energy crashes due to their diets.”

Wicks continued: “We are taught that this is what kids eat and need in their lunchbox”. He believes people are ‘cooking less than ever and relying on processed foods’. As a result, kids are getting the energy “sucked out of them”. 

According to Wicks, children are struggling to focus, gaining weight, and having energy crashes due to their diets. He says these foods won’t give your children the energy they need for a healthy day. 

The Truth About Nutrition

There is a lot of science behind the correlation between unhealthy foods and energy levels. High amounts of fat and low levels of fibre can damage energy levels. A healthy and varied diet is important for children’s mental, physical, and emotional development. Wicks isn’t the first person to raise concerns about ultra-processed food (UPF) either, which has potential implications for people’s health.

However, the prevalence of nutritional advice online means many parents cook more and eat less processed foods. Young people are healthier than 20 years ago, and tooth decay has declined. 

Can Certain Foods Cause ADHD?

ADHD results from a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors, with genetic factors responsible for 70-80 per cent of the probability. Avoiding certain stimulants, like sugar and caffeine, can help some people manage ADHD symptoms. But they do not cause ADHD.

Dr. Max Davie, a consultant paediatrician with a specialism in ADHD, argues: “There is no evidence that any particular diet, including ultra-processed food, has any causative role in the development of ADHD symptoms and to suggest otherwise is a gross distortion of the facts”. 

“To suggest that swapping sweets for a plate of veggies is all that is needed to “fix” someone with ADHD is both wrong and damaging.”

Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, said: “It was really disappointing to hear Joe Wicks linking a processed food diet to having ADHD. Joe is a force for so much good, but on this, he is abjectly wrong.”

Shelford says: “A diet good, bad, or ugly won’t make you have ADHD To suggest that swapping sweets for a plate of veggies is all that is needed to “fix” someone with ADHD is both wrong and damaging. It’s misleading and undermined the very real difficulty of living with the life-long condition ADHD.”

Misinformation About ADHD

There has been an association between sugar and hyperactivity since 1973, when Benjamin Feingold published the Feingold Diet. His diet is also the origin of people trying to avoid food colouring. This common myth has been linked to ADHD due to the H standing for ‘hyperactivity’. Wicks not only reinforces this misinformation but also labels everyone with ADHD as hyperactive. This is a misnomer, which often leads to people being undiagnosed.

Neurodivergency is often incorrectly blamed on diet. For example, PETA has received backlash for repeatedly stating that drinking cow’s milk causes autism. Many neurodivergent people have unusual or limited diets, as well as being more likely to have gastrointestinal issues and nutritional deficiencies. As a result, there is a false correlation between how neurodivergent people eat and how they behave. 

It may be that people (especially parents) cling to the idea that diets cause or affect neurodivergent people because it gives them a false sense of control over their children’s disabilities. Those who want to help their children manage symptoms or “cure” them may see changing their diet as a way to do so.

Wicks eventually apologised after extensive backlash online, saying he knows ADHD can’t be caused by food and that his comments were misunderstood. While his comments may not have been ill-intended, Wicks has a large online presence, and those who follow his platforms may take Joe’s comments as fact. This contributes to existing misinformation and stigma surrounding ADHD.

The Stigmas Surrounding ADHD

It is difficult for people to get diagnosed with ADHD despite the common misconception that diagnoses are easy to get. Many people living with ADHD haven’t been formally diagnosed. An anonymous user on Twitter says the biggest harm to Wicks’ comments is that people may feel even more invalidated to get a proper diagnosis because of someone with a platform (Wicks) proclaiming ‘our struggles are not real’.

Katya Varbanova, CEO of Viral Marketing Stars, says: “As a viral content pro, I am tired of experts using their social media platforms to gain attention through rage biting and clickbait on medical and health subjects. Joe Wicks is familiar with online marketing and understands social media algorithms well. This leads me to believe he could intentionally say that to spark engagement and conversation around his brand.”

Wicks’ comments coincided with the release of his new book for children: ‘Fitter, Healthier, Happier!: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and Mind‘. The book claims to help with “getting a good night’s sleep, reducing your stress and worry, and finding a calmer mindset”. No doubt, he wants to sell his book to parents of children with ADHD, who receive very little support. 

But Varbanova says: “When you bring ADHD and medical diagnosis into the picture, there’s real harm one can cause.”

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Featured image of Tong Nguyen van on Unsplash.  No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here.

I am a waitress and writer currently living in London! Graduated last year from the University of Birmingham with a first-class BA English and Creative Writing degree. I am an aspiring young journalist with a love for writing anything related to current affairs, opinion, mental health, food and drink, and travel!

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