New ADHD Study Reveals relationship of the diagnosis with low folate levels
Puneet Aggarwal
It is unbelievable what the food we eat can do to our bodies. Well that is because there are substances in those food that will provide us the vitamins and minerals that our body needs. However, if you are a pregnant woman, then you may find yourself very picky on the food that you eat. That is for the reason that the nutrients from the foot that you eat are not only for yourself but also for the baby that you are carrying.
There is actually a list of minerals that a pregnant woman needs to load up on and this comes with the food that is rich in that certain vitamin or mineral. Apart from zinc, calcium and iron, another important substance that a pregnant woman should have plenty of is Folate. This is because folate is said to go hand in hand with the healthy development of the baby’s nervous system. Lack of such an important substance may lead to a number of problems, one of which is Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. This is what appeared from a new ADHD study recently published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Apparently, from this research, they found out that the level of maternal nutrition that a pregnant woman has had a consequence on the behavior of the child that she bears. In fact, if the mother has poor nutrition, her child may suffer from problems in interacting with peers or socialization in the later life of the child. Apart from the behavior consequences, it is also observed that a mother who did not receive proper nutrition gives birth to babies with a smaller head circumference compared to a well-nourished one. This may have resulted from lower rate of prenatal brain growth which may cause problems in the brain activity. This, in the end may cause ADHD because certain studies correlate anomalies in the brain and brain activity with ADHD. However, the sad part in this one is the fact that people who have low income do not usually have the luxury to choose what they eat and does not have the resources to but folate supplements and the likes. Thus, there is a bigger chance that children with ADHD may come from this population of people.
This is actually an eye opener and another proof there is a benefit in eating the right kinds of food. Apart from preventing congenital and/or developmental disorders like ADHD the mother and the child will also be healthy which is what the family usually wants. Having known this, you may want to share this to the future mothers or even to your friends even though they are not pregnant because this serves as a reminder for us to watch what we eat.
Puneet writes a blog about ADHD and helps ADHD sufferers to find new treatments in naturopathy and alternative medicine. If you are looking for a well-researched herbal remedy for ADHD, you may read more