ADHD & Nutrition Webinar

This webinar explores the relationship between ADHD and nutrition, explaining:

1. Core neurophysiology (dopamine, serotonin and related pathways)
2. The role of blood sugar balance
3. How nutritional therapy can support symptom management

Hosted by Ella Kaur (Practitioner Lead, Registered Nutritionist and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner) with guest speaker Dana Chapman, a nutritional therapist specialising in ADHD.

Key Points Discussed

Prevalence and diagnosis challenges in ADHD

• ADHD affects a substantial proportion of children and adults, with diagnoses and medication prescribing rising.
• Long waiting times for mental health assessments can leave people in prolonged 'limbo' before they receive support.

Serotonin: functions beyond 'mood'

• Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter and hormone-like signalling molecule. It affects:
  • Mood
  • Sleep and circadian rhythm
  • Appetite and digestion
  • Pain perception
  • Vascular tone
• Serotonin is synthesised in the brain from tryptophan and produced in the gut by enterochromaffin cells.
• Tryptophan availability is influenced by diet and by competition with other amino acids.

Dopamine: reward, motivation and executive function

• Dopamine is crucial for movement, motivation and reward, mood and cognition, attention, memory and executive function.
• The 'dopamine cycle' is linked to precursor availability (tyrosine → L-dopa → dopamine) and to gut health, suggesting a gut-brain loop.

Blood sugar balance and ADHD-related dopamine signalling

• Stable blood glucose is important for dopamine synthesis and brain energy.
• High-glycaemic spikes may drive reward and craving cycles. Over time, repeated spikes may contribute to blunted reward sensitivity and difficulty with impulse control.

ADHD is not only 'low dopamine'

Dana explains that ADHD involves altered catecholaminergic pathways (dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline), but also serotonin and glutamate/GABA pathways.

The emphasis is on considering multiple neurotransmitter systems together rather than focusing on one alone.

Medication overview and how nutrition may complement it

Pharmacological treatments covered include methylphenidate and the non-stimulant atomoxetine, with a brief explanation of how they affect reuptake/transporters and downstream neurotransmitter availability.

Nutrition is positioned as supportive. It may enhance symptom management and medication effectiveness, and reduce reliance on medication where appropriate, given side effects and long-term considerations.

Key Takeaways

1. ADHD requires a multi-system approach: dopamine, serotonin and glutamate/GABA pathways are interconnected rather than isolated.
2. Nutrition can support symptom management by influencing:
3. neurotransmitter precursor availability
4. receptor function, including the effects of inflammation
5. gut health, including the microbiome and gut barrier integrity
6. Blood sugar stability matters: repeated glycaemic spikes may reinforce reward and craving cycles and worsen impulse control and reward sensitivity.

Conclusion

This webinar delivers a practitioner-focused framework for supporting ADHD through nutrition:

• Understand neurotransmitter physiology (dopamine and serotonin, plus glutamate/GABA).
• Stabilise blood sugar.
• Reduce neuroinflammation.
• Prioritise gut health.

This webinar is fully approved by BANT® and accredited for CPD hours.