title: The effect of dietary education on ADHD, a randomized controlled clinical trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of the overall dietary intervention rather than a single nutrient on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a randomized controlled trial conducted at a child psychiatry clinic in Iran. Participants were 106 children and adolescents with ADHD. One group received methylphenidate plus dietary recommendations, while the other group only received methylphenidate. ADHD DSM-IV checklist was used to assess inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity scores at baseline and at the end of the trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results revealed no significant difference between the two groups regarding mean age, gender ratio, body mass index, baseline inattentiveness score, and baseline hyperactivity score. Linear regression analysis considering the covariant variables showed that the inattentive score at the end of the trial was significantly associated with the mean change of favorite diet scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first clinical trial examining the effect of overall dietary characteristics rather than a single nutrient on the children formally diagnosed with ADHD. According to the results, un-favorite diet had no effects on inattentive or hyperactivity/impulsivity score. Encouraging the children with ADHD to increase their intake of recommended diet markedly improves their attention.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The trial was registered at the Iranian Clinical Trials Registry (Irct ID: IRCT201311303930N29).
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran ; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran ; Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghanizadeh
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haddad
keywords: ADHD; Artificial food color; Attention; Cacao; Clinical trial; Diet; Sugar