Bone mineral density changes after physical training and calcium intake in students with attention deficit and hyper activity disorders.
Weight-bearing exercise three times a week can boost bone density in elementary boys with ADHD more than calcium alone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Elahe et al. (2012) worked with boys who have ADHD. The boys did weight-bearing exercise three times a week for nine months. Half also took a calcium pill each day.
The team measured bone density in the hip before and after the program. They wanted to see if exercise plus calcium would make bones stronger than exercise alone.
What they found
The boys who exercised and took calcium gained the most bone density. Boys who only exercised still gained, but not as much.
Nine months of simple jumping and running games made bones stronger in kids who often sit still.
How this fits with other research
Matson et al. (2008) found autistic boys on casein-free diets had thinner bones. Elahe’s ADHD boys gained bone. The two studies seem opposite, but they looked at different kids and diets.
Pitetti et al. (2007) also ran a nine-month exercise plan for autistic teens. Both studies show long, steady exercise helps neurodivergent youth.
Esteban-Figuerola et al. (2019) pooled many papers and found autistic kids eat less calcium. Elahe’s work hints that extra calcium plus exercise might fix low intake and weak bones in ADHD too.
Why it matters
Strong bones lower fracture risk and keep kids active. Add short jump breaks or hallway shuttle runs three times a week. Track calcium-rich snacks like yogurt or fortified juice. You can run the same nine-month plan in a school or clinic with almost no gear.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In this study we investigate the effects of weight bearing exercise and calcium intake on bone mineral density (BMD) of students with attention deficit and hyper activity (ADHD) disorder. For this reason 54 male students with ADHD (age 8-12 years old) were assigned to four groups with no differences in age, BMD, calcium intake, and physical activity: exercise groups with or without calcium supplementation (Ex+Ca+ and Ex+Ca-) and non-exercise groups with or without calcium supplementation (Ex-Ca+ and Ex-Ca-). The intervention involved 50 min of weight bearing exercise performed 3 sessions a week and/or the addition of dietary calcium rich food using enriched cow milk with vitamin D containing 250 mg calcium per serving, over 9 months. Paired-samples t-test, one way ANOVA analysis, and Tukey tests were used to determine the main and combined effects of training and calcium on BMD. All groups showed greater femoral neck BMD after 9 months. The increase in femoral neck BMD was significantly different between all groups (p < 0.05). Ex+Ca+ group has greater increase in BMD than other groups. Apparently, the effect of training was greater than calcium intake (p < 0.05). These results help to provide more evidence for public health organizations to deal with both exercise and nutrition issues in children with ADHD disorder for the achievement of peak BMD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.10.017