{"id":19451,"date":"2025-03-05T20:57:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T20:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=19451"},"modified":"2025-03-05T20:57:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T20:57:21","slug":"study-finds-strong-link-between-western-diet-during-pregnancy-and-adhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/study-finds-strong-link-between-western-diet-during-pregnancy-and-adhd\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Finds Strong Link Between Western Diet During Pregnancy and ADHD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and COPSAC have found that a Western dietary pattern during pregnancy is associated with a significantly higher risk of ADHD and autism in children, emphasizing the importance and potential impact of dietary interventions in maternal nutrition.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new comprehensive clinical study from Denmark indicates that the dietary choices of pregnant women can significantly influence the neurodevelopmental health of their children. According to the research conducted by the University of Copenhagen and the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, a Western diet \u2014 high in fat, sugar and low in fresh ingredients \u2014 during pregnancy is strongly associated with an increased risk of ADHD and autism in children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe greater a woman&#8217;s adherence to a Western diet in pregnancy &#8212; high in fat, sugar and refined products while low in fish, vegetables and fruit \u2014 the greater the risk appears to be for her child developing ADHD or autism,\u201d lead author David Horner, a doctoral student in the Department of Food Science,\u00a0Food Analytics and Biotechnology at the University of Copenhagen, said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The extensive study, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42255-025-01230-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Nature Metabolism, utilized data from more than 60,000 mother-child pairs in Denmark and the United States, providing a robust analysis through dietary records, blood samples and ADHD diagnoses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The findings revealed that even moderate shifts towards a Western dietary pattern were linked to a 66% increased risk of ADHD and a 122% increased risk of autism.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This significant insight presents an opportunity for expecting mothers: making even small dietary adjustments away from a Western diet could potentially reduce the risk of these neurodevelopmental disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research employing metabolomics \u2014 a method that examines metabolic changes in the blood \u2014 illustrated that certain biological mechanisms, particularly inflammation and oxidative stress, are influenced by dietary patterns and play a role in early neurodevelopment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The associations were found to be particularly strong in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, a period crucial for fetal brain development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen comparing across cohorts, we observed the strongest associations in the first and second trimesters, suggesting that brain development during this period is particularly sensitive to maternal nutritional influences,\u201d added senior author Morten Arendt Rasmussen, a professor of food microbiology, gut health and fermentation at the University of Copenhagen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research shines a spotlight on the current dietary guidelines for pregnant women, which primarily emphasize a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish. The study raises questions about the effectiveness and adherence to these recommendations during pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe know that nutritional demands increase during pregnancy, and our study highlights just how crucial dietary composition is for foetal development,&#8221; Horner added. &#8220;While the Nordic diet is often considered healthy, our data show that many pregnant women follow dietary patterns that could be optimised to better support their child\u2019s development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The implications of this research are far-reaching. By understanding how specific dietary patterns impact neurodevelopment, health professionals can better guide and potentially improve dietary recommendations for pregnant women, aiming to foster better neurodevelopmental health outcomes for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:8px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.ku.dk\/all_news\/2025\/03\/new-research-strong-link-between-western-diet-during-pregnancy-and-adhd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Copenhagen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new comprehensive clinical study from Denmark indicates that the dietary choices of pregnant women can significantly influence the neurodevelopmental health of their children. According to the research conducted by the University of Copenhagen and the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,25],"tags":[101],"class_list":["post-19451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-science","tag-university-of-copenhagen"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A new comprehensive clinical study from Denmark indicates that the dietary choices of pregnant women can significantly influence the neurodevelopmental health of their children. According to the research conducted by the University of Copenhagen and the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, a&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19451"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19501,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19451\/revisions\/19501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}