What Joe Wicks REALLY thinks ADHD is caused by poor nutrition
Fitness guru Joe Wicks has denied claims ultra-processed foods could cause ADHD, months after he was accused of saying his childhood hyperactive behavior was due to ‘Wagon Wheels and jelly sandwiches’.
Appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Headliners podcast in April, the father-of-four appeared to suggest that some diagnoses of the brain condition could ‘come back to the diet and the food we eat’.
Wicks, nicknamed the Body Coach, also admitted to ‘running on sugar’ as a child, blaming his love of junk food for his behavioral problems.
At the time, his comments were dismissed by leading ADHD experts and charities who labeled them ‘misleading’, ‘wrong’ and ‘harmful’.
But in a new interview, Wicks, 39, who rose to fame with his PE with Joe workout videos during Covid lockdowns, said he was ‘not saying ADHD is caused by poor nutrition’.
Instead, he claimed he was merely emphasizing that certain foods and poor diets can affect children’s behavior.
He told it The Telegraph: ‘It was really upsetting because it was never my intention.
‘I was just trying to say that nutrition has a huge effect on our mood as adults and children, our energy, our focus.
Appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Headliners podcast in April, the nation’s favorite workout guru appeared to suggest that some diagnoses “could be traced back to the diet and food we eat.”
Fascinating graphs show how the number of ADHD prescriptions has increased over time, with the demographic shift of the patient population from children to adults, with women in particular now driving the increase
“And I said something that offended some people in the ADHD community. They will never forgive me for that.’
“Obviously what I said was certain foods that I ate… and even now, with my kids, it really affects them.
‘They don’t want to sit still, their behavior changes. I didn’t say that ADHD is caused by poor nutrition.
“I just think it could really have an impact.”
Speaking on the BBC podcast in April, Wicks – who has written 12 cookbooks that have sold millions of copies worldwide – said: ‘Looking back now, there is no doubt that the food I ate was directly linked to my behaviour.
‘I have never been diagnosed with ADHD, but I think it is the most normal thing in the world these days that every child seems to be diagnosed with it.
“And I think a lot of it comes back to the diet and the food that we eat.
“So when I think about my diet, it was cereal, milkman’s concentrated juice, Sunny Delight, Wagon Wheels, all-jam sandwiches, Nutella, very few nutrients – pure sugar.”
In a new interview, Wicks, 39, who rose to fame for his PE training videos with Joe during Covid lockdowns, has said he didn’t ‘say ADHD is caused by poor nutrition’. Pictured: Wicks at the Glastonbury Festival earlier this year
Speaking on the BBC podcast in April, Wicks – who has written 12 cookbooks that have sold millions of copies worldwide – said: ‘Looking back now, there is no doubt that the food I ate was directly linked to my behaviour. ‘ Pictured with his wife Rosie and four children
Amid the backlash his comments sparked, Wicks released a video statement days later on his Instagram account, saying reports had taken his comments out of context.
But he added that, in retrospect, he wishes he had worded his comments about ADHD diagnoses in children differently.
“It has triggered and angered so many people in the ADHD community, and rightly so. “I completely understand,” he said.
“I know that’s not factual, that’s not true. I don’t believe that. I never did that, I would never say that.
‘It is a neurodivergent condition that affects the brain and there are many factors involved.
‘I really believe that nutrition has a huge impact, whether you have ADHD or not.
‘It really affects our mood and our ability to sit still and concentrate, even our energy and our mental health.
“Looking back, when I listened to it (the podcast episode) a few times, I wish I had been misdiagnosed.
“What I mean is that many children are misdiagnosed and I believe this is happening all over the world.”
NHS statistics show that more than 230,000 people in England are now taking ADHD drugs to combat their inattention and hyperactivity.
The number of prescriptions rose by a fifth last year, marking the biggest annual increase since modern recording began in 2015.
Data shows this is largely driven by a rise in the number of women in their 20s and 30s, although figures among children are still rising.
Experts have warned that rogue private clinics are over-diagnosing the condition and have questioned the widespread prescribing of powerful stimulant drugs to treat the condition.
The booming market is believed to be driven by celebrities such as model Katie Price and Love Island star Olivia Attwood talking about their ADHD ordeal and waiting up to ten years for an NHS assessment.
Users also share on social media sites how medication helped them calm down, control their fidgeting and improve their concentration.
But experts have also argued that ADHD was not officially listed as a disorder affecting adults in Britain until 2008.
Before, it was simply recognized as a childhood problem that children grew out of.
As a result, some experts argue that many adults who are now being told they have ADHD, rather than being over-diagnosed, have been dismissing their symptoms for years.
Podcasts are also increasingly blamed for amplifying pseudoscience.
Earlier this month, a BBC World Service investigation was conducted examining the accuracy of health information in 23 episodes of Barlett’s Diary of A CEO podcast, 15 were found to contain an average of 14 damaging claims that contradicted scientific evidence.
Flight Studio – the podcast’s production company – pushed back on the analysis, which included statements from top scientists, calling it “disappointing and unfair.”
It claimed that almost 400 episodes of the podcast have been published to date, meaning the BBC has rated less than four percent of the episodes.
The company also said some of the guests on the podcast also appeared on the BBC.