Is there a link between childhood obesity and ADHD, learning disabilities?

A University of Illinois study has established a possible link between high-fat diets and such childhood brain-based conditions as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and memory-dependent learning disabilities
 

“We found that a high-fat diet rapidly affected dopamine metabolism in the brains of juvenile mice, triggering anxious behaviors and learning deficiencies. Interestingly, when methylphenidate (Ritalin) was administered, the learning and memory problems went away,” said Gregory Freund, a professor in the U of I College of Medicine and a member of the university’s Division of Nutritional Sciences.

 

The research was published in Psychoneuroendocrinology and is available pre-publication online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.01.004. 

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