Children with ADHD are more likely to have an eating disorder

‘Picky eating’, a hypersensitivity to certain foods or a tendency to gorge, is something that we at DMC have noted present in one form or another for 20 years now, as being related to RRS.

It appears logical to link that when those with ADHD are so prone to adrenal overstimulation, that they binge eat on foods to achieve blood sugar rushes and fat highs. Perhaps to counter the crashes from these ‘rollercoaster rides’ their CNS is undergoing? Not to mention, that someone with ADHD is far more susceptible to act impulsively and reach for that extra sweet treat.

Research papers continue to come out with these associated links, but are still unable to pinpoint the exact reason as to why. Below is an article citing that those with ADHD are likely to have loss of control of eating.


Personally, I see it as there being three most likely causes. Although there are many other possibilities.

Could it be
  • An undeveloped neuro-physiological system with an inability for the gut to communicate with the brain to indicate when full?
  • Is it the ADHD tendency to rush and gorge on high calorie foods that means that those affected overeat before the perceived 20 minute window. The timeframe it takes that is widely acknowledged for the gut to communicate to the brain that one is now satiated?
  • Or has the impulse nature associated with ADHD that leads those to take on calorific content dense food sources, changed the microbial gut bacteria? Recent studies have suggested that high fat content diets affect the symbiotic relationship between the brain and the native population of microbes in the gut. Ruining the ‘communication’ between the two, to the extent that after some time, the Nucleus of the Solitary tract, in the medulla oblongata, is left irreversibly damaged. Research paper, by Krzysztof Czaja, details below.

A separate study of 917 subjects, taking into account a number of variables and home environments, identifies that picky eating often has cause other then personal taste and the old adage that it is just a developmental stage. Available here


Ref: Psychological and Psychosocial Impairment in Preschoolers With Selective Eating


Research: Diet-induced obesity is associated with a change in the intestinal microbiota, activation of microglia, and reorganization of the nucleus of the solitary tract

Lead Author: Krzysztof Czaja, Department of Veterinary Biosciences and Diagnostic Imaging, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Co-Authors:

  1. E. Cooper, Department of Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
  2. C. Vaughn, Department of Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
  3. P. M. Di Lorenzo, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
  4. J.H. Peters, Department of Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
  5. J.L. O’Loughlin, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA E. M. Cooper, Department of Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
  6. M. E. Konkel, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

Pediatric loss of control eating syndrome: Association with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and impulsivity


Source: Medical News Today


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