British fitness instructor Joe Wicks has come under fire from experts who call his postulation on ADHD quackery.
Wicks said that Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) were at fault for the increasing ADHD cases in an interview with the Headliners show on BBC Radio 5. Furthermore, he noted that individuals spend less on home cooking and more on processed foods and sugary snacks.
Scientists still don’t know much about what causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but they do know that genes play a significant influence. Possible other causes and risk factors include prematurity, low birth weight, alcohol or cigarette use during pregnancy, environmental hazards during or before pregnancy, and brain damage.
Experts cautioned that the majority of research on the link between ADHD and diet has been “poorly designed” and relies on “observational” methods.
Wicks blamed his love of sugary foods like Sunny Delight, Wagon Wheels, and jam sandwiches for his behavioral troubles when he was a kid, admitting as much in an interview with the Headliners program on BBC Radio 5 Live. He thinks that young people’s lack of energy and attention problems can be caused by their dependence on junk food.
Wicks has talked publicly about his troubled childhood in Surrey, England, the effects of his parents’ heroin addiction, and her mother’s battle with various ailments. His lack of a healthy diet as a child may have contributed to his behavioral disorders, he thinks. One of Wicks’s life’s missions is to raise awareness about the dangers of overeating UPFs and to encourage others to make more homemade meals.
Nursing England launched a task force to investigate the increase in ADHD diagnoses in both children and adults. According to experts, private clinics are overdiagnosing the ailment and giving high-stimulant medicines to treat it. Katie Price and Olivia Attwood’s public struggles with ADHD and the ten-year wait for an NHS diagnosis may have stoked the fires of a thriving market. Many people who use medicine also report that it helps them focus better, regulate their fidgeting, and relax.
Psychologist Dr. Lisa Williams has spoken out against the growing awareness of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), saying that the broadening and blurring of diagnoses will lead to more individuals fitting into the group, leading to less specialized treatment for those who have developmental disabilities.
Many people who are now diagnosed with ADHD had their symptoms ignored for years, according to experts, since the illness was only formally recognized as an adult disorder in the UK in 2008.