This Household Pesticide Linked to ADHD in Children and Teens

Children with the biomarker for this chemical were twice as likely to have ADHD as those without.

Children with the biomarker for this chemical were twice as likely to have ADHD as those without.

A commonly used household pesticide has been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and young teens.

Pyrethroids, a type of pesticide, were introduced as a supposedly safer alternative to organophosphates.

Organophosphates were banned for residential use in the US 15 years ago.

But the research may question the safety of their replacement.

Dr Tanya Froehlich, a developmental paediatrician who led the study, said:

“Given the growing use of pyrethroid pesticides and the perception that they may represent a safe alternative, our findings may be of considerable public health importance.”

The results come from 687 children who were followed as part of the 2000-2001 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

This collected information about hyperactivity and impulsivity as well as biomarkers of pyrethoid exposure.

The results showed that children with the biomarker were twice as likely to have ADHD as those without.

The connection was much stronger in boys than girls.

Dr. Froehlich said:

“Our study assessed pyrethroid exposure using 3-PBA concentrations in a single urine sample.

Given that pyrethroids are non-persistent and rapidly metabolized, measurements over time would provide a more accurate assessment of typical exposure and are recommended in future studies before we can say definitively whether our results have public health ramifications.”

The study was published in the journal Environmental Health (Wagner-Schuman et al., 2015).

2 Ways To Treat ADHD In 10 Minutes

ADHD, which stands for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is characterised by excessive activity, impulsive behaviour and inattention.

ADHD, which stands for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is characterised by excessive activity, impulsive behaviour and inattention.

As little as 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation and 10 minutes of exercise helps children with ADHD.

ADHD, which stands for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is characterised by excessive activity, impulsive behaviour and inattention.

Together, these quick exercises help children improve their attention, self-efficacy and mood.

While both approaches have been shown previously to help ADHD in the long-term, this study shows they can help also help in the short-term.

Dr Barbara Fenesi, study co-author, said:

“We want to identify behavioral approaches that could help manage ADHD symptoms for children and determine whether even a single, short bout of these behavioral approaches could be beneficial, rather than needing to engage in them for long periods of time.”

The small study included 16 children aged 10- to 14-years-old who either did mindfulness and exercise for 10 minutes or read a book.

Dr Fenesi said:

“We also wanted to compare these two behavioral approaches to see if one was superior to the other, or whether they each contributed differently to unique aspects of well-being.”

The results showed that both exercise and mindfulness were particularly beneficial for inattention.

Working memory, inhibitory control and task-switching were all boosted more by mindfulness.

However, exercise improved children’s mood.

Dr Fenesi said:

“Our study highlights how the mind and body are connected.

In order to activate children’s intellectual minds, their bodies and mindful awareness must be activated to create an environment that’s conducive to learning.”

Breathing and yoga for ADHD

This research comes on top of a study showing that both breathing exercises and yoga can help children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The children with ADHD found it easier to engage in complex activities with greater attention after doing the exercises.

The exercises taught to the children concentrated on tension and relaxation.

Children were trained three times a week over two or three months.

The benefits of the training were still evident six months after the training was completed.

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology (Bigelow et al., 2021).

The Common Painkiller Linked To Autism And ADHD

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that affects behaviour, social interaction and learning.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that affects behaviour, social interaction and learning.

Acetaminophen — also known as Tylenol (or paracetamol outside the US) — is linked to autism and ADHD, a study suggests.

Children exposed to higher levels of acetaminophen in the womb were at almost four times the risk of developing autism.

Acetaminophen was linked to almost three times the risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when they were tested at around nine-years-old.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that affects behaviour, social interaction and learning.

Classic signs of autism include more limited and repetitive play, less name response, less social smiling, less babbling and limited gesture use.

ADHD is characterised by impulsiveness or hyperactivity
and serious problems maintaining attention on one task.

Many children continue to experience the symptoms of ADHD into adulthood.

The results come from a study of 996 births in the US city of Boston.

Blood was taken from the umbilical cord and analysed for levels of acetaminophen and its byproducts.

Around nine years later 6.6 percent had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 25.8 percent with ADHD.

Researchers then compared children with the lowest levels of acetaminophen in their umbilical cord blood at birth to those with the highest levels.

The results showed that high levels of acetaminophen increased the risk of developing autism by 3.62 times.

For ADHD, those exposed to the highest levels of ADHD were at 2.86 times the risk of developing the condition.

As ever, with this type of research, though, correlation not equal causation.

However, several studies have linked acetaminophen to autism.

Professor Andrew Shennan, an obstetrician at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, said:

“Paracetamol is a recommended drug for use in pregnancy and will be commonly used.

This type of uncontrolled study does not imply paracetamol use causes autism, as the reason for taking paracetamol may be the issue rather than the drug itself, and a mechanism for it to cause harm is not clear.”

Professor Stephen Evans, a drug safety expert, who was also not involved in the study, said:

“In general, advice has always been to avoid or limit most drugs in pregnancy if possible, but some drugs are required for a mother’s health.

Avoiding paracetamol when it is not needed is sensible and has always been the case, but millions of women with perfectly normal children will also have taken paracetamol during pregnancy.

The results of this study should not raise anxiety in pregnant women.”

The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry (Ji et al., 2019).

How Diet Can Reduce ADHD Symptoms (M)

ADHD is a developmental problem characterised by excessive activity, impulsive behaviour and inattention.

ADHD is a developmental problem characterised by excessive activity, impulsive behaviour and inattention.


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6 Signs You May Have Adult ADHD

8.2% of people have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, double the previously reported rate.

8.2% of people have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, double the previously reported rate.

Many people say their attention is gotten poorer in the digital age.

But, is it just a regular inability to focus, or is it a ‘disorder’?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD or ADD, can cause people to have problems with simple day-to-day tasks, like paying bills.

It may even cause someone to lose their job, through persistent lateness or failing to perform routine tasks.

The World Health Organisation has released the latest version of an adult test for ADHD.

The answers to these questions have been found to reliably predict people suffering from ADHD.

  1. How often do you have difficulty concentrating on what people say to you, even when they are speaking to you directly?
  2. How often do you leave your seat in meetings and other situations in which you are expected to remain seated?
  3. How often do you have difficulty unwinding and relaxing when you have time to yourself?
  4. When you’re in a conversation, how often do you find yourself finishing the sentences of the people you are talking to before they can finish them themselves?
  5. How often do you put things off until the last minute?
  6. How often do you depend on others to keep your life in order and attend to details?

To each of these questions, the options are “never,” “rarely,” “sometimes,” “often” or “very often.”

Answering “sometimes,” “often” or “very often” to four of the six questions indicates the test-taker may have adult ADHD.

However, the questions are designed as a simple way to screen people.

In other words, they can give you an indication, not a diagnosis.

Many people, though, have ADHD without being diagnosed with it.

One study suggests that 8.2 percent of people have adult ADHD, double the previously reported rate.

People with ADHD are often prescribed drugs like Ritalin or Adderall.

However, additional psychotherapy can be useful for some and has fewer side-effects.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry (Usun et al., 2017).

Autism And ADHD May Double Risk Of Early Death

The link between autism and early death appears to be mostly due to natural causes.

The link between autism and early death appears to be mostly due to natural causes.

Having either ADHD or autism comes with a higher risk of dying early, a large study finds.

According to a review of the results of 27 separate studies, people with autism or ADHD are at double the risk of an early death.

The causes of death are both natural and unnatural.

Natural causes of death include seizures and cardiac events, while unnatural deaths include accidents and suicide.

ADHD and early death

ADHD, which affects around 5 percent of people, appears to be particularly strongly linked to unnatural deaths.

People with ADHD are at a high risk of death from accidents, a previous study on the same subject found (Dalsgaard et al., 2015)

Earlier diagnosis, though, tended to be a protective factor.

Those not diagnosed with ADHD until after they were 18 were at four times the risk of an early death, with females being particularly vulnerable.

Dr Søren Dalsgaard, the study’s first author, said:

 “Our findings emphasise the importance diagnosing ADHD early, especially in girls and women, and treating any co-existing antisocial and substance use disorders.

It is however important to emphasise that although the relative risk of premature death is increased in ADHD, the absolute risk is low.”

Autism and early death

The link between autism and early death appears to be mostly due to natural causes.

For example, people with autism are more likely to suffer from other mental health problems like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, conduct and tic disorders.

People with these problems are also more likely to be sedentary, to take little exercise, to be obese and have heart disease and other medical problems.

Professor Stephen Faraone, an expert on ADHD and related disorders, said:

“Although talk of premature death will worry parents and patients, they can seek solace in the knowledge that the absolute risk for premature death is low and that this and other risks can be greatly reduced with evidenced-based treatments for the disorder.”

The study was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics (Catalá-López et al., 2022).