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Nutrition for Youth Athletes with ADHD: What We Know and Practical Applications
Tyler B Becker1,2, Ronald L Gibbs2
1Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Nutrients
|January 28, 2026
Summary
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects many young athletes. Optimizing nutrition, focusing on complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, may improve athletic performance and manage ADHD symptoms, while limiting sugar and saturated fats is advised.
Area of Science:
- Sports Nutrition
- Pediatric Sports Medicine
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects over 10% of US children and adolescents, including a similar prevalence in youth athletes.
- While ADHD may offer athletic advantages like quickness and hyperfocus, it presents challenges such as poor concentration and increased injury risk.
- Pharmacological ADHD treatments can enhance performance but may suppress appetite, impacting nutritional intake.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current literature on nutritional strategies for children and adolescent athletes with ADHD.
- To provide practical sports nutrition guidelines tailored to this population.
- To explore the interplay between nutrition, athletic performance, and ADHD symptom management.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on ADHD, sports nutrition, and pediatric populations.
- Analysis of evidence linking dietary components to ADHD symptom manifestation and athletic performance.
- Synthesis of established sports nutrition principles for application to youth athletes with ADHD.
Main Results:
- Optimizing energy intake, emphasizing complex carbohydrates, improving fat quality, and ensuring adequate micronutrients may support athletic performance and ADHD symptom management.
- Excessive intake of added sugars and saturated fats is linked to poorer outcomes and exacerbated ADHD symptoms.
- While direct research on nutritional interventions for youth athletes with ADHD is lacking, established principles offer a promising framework.
Conclusions:
- Nutritional strategies can play a vital role in supporting both athletic performance and ADHD symptom management in young athletes.
- A balanced diet focusing on whole foods and appropriate macronutrient distribution is recommended.
- Further research is needed to directly investigate the impact of specific nutritional interventions in this population to enhance performance, reduce injury risk, and promote long-term health.
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