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The association between junk foods consumption and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

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Abstract

The adverse effects of junk foods on the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms were reported in several studies. In this meta-analysis, the association between junk food consumption and the risk of ADHD was investigated in children and adolescents. A comprehensive systematic search was conducted to find all relevant literature via four databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google scholar, up to September 2022. Two independent authors screened all documents based on inclusion criteria. The overall effect sizes and related 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled with the random effect approach. Subgroup analysis was done to measure potential sources of heterogeneity between studies. The quality of the included studies was evaluated with The Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS). Nine observational studies with 58,296 children /adolescents were eligible to be include in the meta-analysis. According to the random effect model, there was a positive relation between the consumption of junk foods and ADHD symptoms (odds ratio (OR): 1.24, 95%CI 1.15–1.34, P < 0.001, I2: 37.4%, P = 0.085). A similar significant positive association was shown in the subgroups analysis by different junk foods (sweetened beverages/soft drinks, sweets/candies, and other types of junk foods). This meta-analysis finding demonstrated that consuming junk foods, especially sweetened beverages/soft drinks, and sweets/candies is associated with ADHD symptoms.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Clinical Research Development Unit of Imam Ali hospital, Karaj, Iran.

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Author notes

  1. Hanieh-Sadat Ejtahed and Mostafa Qorbani contributed equally as corresponding authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ali Asghar Children’s Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Khazdouz

  2. Student Research Committee, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran

    Reza Safarzadeh

  3. School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Bahram Hejrani

  4. Department of Nutrition, School of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran

    Motahareh Hasani

  5. Clinical Research Development Unit, Shahid Rajaei Educational and Medical Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran

    Fatemeh Sadat Mahdavi

  6. Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hanieh-Sadat Ejtahed

  7. Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hanieh-Sadat Ejtahed

  8. Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran

    Mostafa Qorbani

  9. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Reza Safarzadeh

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  1. Maryam Khazdouz
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Contributions

M.Q and H.E designed the protocol and conducted a systematic search. M.KH and M.H collection, analysis, and drafted the manuscript. R.S and B.H contributed to the selection of the studies and F.S.M assessed the quality of included studies. All authors read and approved the final version.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Hanieh-Sadat Ejtahed or Mostafa Qorbani.

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Khazdouz, M., Safarzadeh, R., Hejrani, B. et al. The association between junk foods consumption and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34, 825–834 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-024-02521-8

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