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Preventing ADHD

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Follow a healthy lifestyle before and during pregnancy to lower your child's risk for ADHD.
Follow a healthy lifestyle before and during pregnancy to lower your child's risk for ADHD.
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You can lower your child’s risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by taking certain steps while trying to conceive and during pregnancy:

  • Don’t smoke.
  • Avoid alcohol.
  • Don’t use recreational drugs.
  • Try to manage stress and anxiety levels as best as you can.
  • Follow a healthy diet: eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, good-quality, low-fat protein (e.g. eggs, chicken, fish), legumes, dairy and healthy fats (e.g. avocado, nuts, seeds).

Reviewed by Prof André Venter, Head: Clinical Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State. MB ChB, MMed, PhD (Canada), DCH, FCP (Paed) SA. July 2018.

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