DR MAX PEMBERTON: Why Joe Wicks is WRONG about diet and the real reason children are getting ADHD

Fitness coach Joe Wicks has blamed ultra-processed junk food for the explosion of young people being diagnosed with ADHD. 

Wicks said he 'ran on sugar' as a child and thinks his love of foods including Wagon Wheels and jam sandwiches are what caused his behavioural issues. 

There's no doubt that food plays a really important role in things such as mood. We know that good nutrition is closely linked not just to healthy bodies, but healthy minds too. 

But there is no evidence to show food or drink that is high in sugar has any real effect on children's behaviour. In fact, this notion has been consistently dismissed by medics as a myth.

There have been a number of double-blind, randomised controlled trials conducted specifically to look at this claim - none of them found a link between sugar intake and children's behaviour. Interestingly, in one study, parents were told that their children had been given sugar when in fact they hadn't, and noted their children were more hyperactive despite this.

Joe Wicks has blamed his high-sugar childhood diet on his ADHD and behavioural problems

It's possible that this myth is based on research into the artificial colouring used in some fizzy drinks and sweets, which have been shown to cause hyperactivity in susceptible children. It seems that maybe this has caused confusion, and people wrongly attributed the hyperactivity to the sugar rather than the additives.

In any case, it's felt that food additives only play a small part in children's behaviour.

There are many other more important factors. And I do agree with Wicks that there are external factors at play in much of the ADHD epidemic.

I worry that things such as smart phones and 'multi-screening' (watching TV while also being on your phone etc), along with social media where children are bombarded with short snippets of information in quick succession, are to blame for the collapse in attention spans we seem to be witnessing. 

In today's world, from the moment a child wakes to the minute they fall asleep, their day is jam-packed with things to do and see. But cramming our children's lives so full like this can cause untold harm and damage. 

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I'm deeply concerned about the effects of modern life on the minds of youngsters. Unlike the claims that sugar causes hyperactivity, research has clearly shown that screen time does increase the risk of behavioural problems in toddlers. This is not remotely surprising to those of us who work in mental health services - we are always seeing children who appear to have no ability to sit still, concentrate and maintain attention for more than the time it takes to read an Instagram post.

While it might be reassuring for parents to have labels such as ADHD and to blame hyperactivity on sugar levels - because it offers an apparently biological explanation for a child's behaviour - we know that there are significant social factors at play too. 

It seems to me no coincidence that the rates of attention and behavioural difficulties in children have sky-rocketed in line with the rise of technology. If a child's brain is being bombarded non-stop for hours on end, is it any wonder we are seeing record levels of attention disorders, hyperactivity and sleep problems?

Tablets and TVs are being used by harassed parents as proxy babysitters. I understand why. But it seems ironic that despite us increasingly treating children with kid gloves, never allowing them to go out and play, banning smacking, feeding them organic food and so on, we appear to be causing other dangers. 

Consuming high levels of sugar is not good for you; it's linked to a host of health issues such as obesity and dental problems. But, as much as I'm a fan of Joe Wicks, it is incorrect for him to blame it for the rising rates of behavioural problems in children.