Although the exact cause of the appearance of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not yet known, it is known that both genes and the environment can influence its development. A new study conducted by the University of Bergen (Norway) has found evidence that drinking soft drinks with sugar every day during pregnancy can increase ADHD symptoms in children.
The research, which has been published in the European Journal of Nutrition, has taken into account data from 39,870 Norwegian mothers and their children, who answered a questionnaire in which they reported on food intake during pregnancy and on health of the offspring at six months, 18 months, three years, five years, seven years and eight years of age, paying special attention to the appearance of possible symptoms of ADHD.
The results indicated that the children of women who had drank carbonated drinks with sugar during pregnancy had between 15% and 21% greater risk of having six or more symptoms of ADHD at eight years, such as difficulty organizing tasks and activities, lack of attention or easily distracted, among others.
Avoid neurodevelopmental disorders that cause disability
Liv Grimstvedt Kvalvik, principal investigator of the study, stressed that other possible factors were taken into account, such as maternal educational level, body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy, depression and anxiety, maternal symptoms of ADHD, other dietary components, age at calving, year of birth, and season.
Avoiding drinking sugary soft drinks in pregnancy could help reduce global ADHD rates, which stand at 5% of children and 2.5% of adults
Although it seems that the association is clear between the consumption of soft drinks with sugar and the appearance of hyperactivity symptoms in offspring, the authors ask for caution, since the research is observational in nature. In addition, they warn that some factors that could also have affected the results, such as the mother’s lifestyle or medical conditions, were not taken into account.
Even so, it is advisable to limit the consumption of this type of beverage during pregnancy because in this way the future development of neurodevelopmental disorders, which usually manifest during childhood and are an important cause of long-term disability, could be avoided. Removing sugary soft drinks from the diets of pregnant women could help reduce global ADHD rates, which stand at 5% of children and 2.5% of adults, according to the study.
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