ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT03737877Updated Jun 6, 2019

The Feasibility of a Dietary Intervention in Children With ADHD

An interventional study of Diet modification in ADHD and Diet Modification, sponsored by St Mary's University College. Status unknown at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 13 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-06-06.

Sponsored by St Mary's University College · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Jun 2019), so the status shown — last known as Active, not recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
9
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
8 Years to 13 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim is to conduct a feasibility pilot study of a dietary intervention designed to optimise gut bacteria in children diagnosed with ADHD.

Read the detailed description

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can suffer debilitating symptoms, including problematic behaviour and sleep. Research suggests dietary manipulations may be a helpful treatment option for children with ADHD, although the most effective are highly restrictive, with little known about why they might work. Optimising gut bacteria in individuals with ADHD may help alleviate some of the symptoms of this condition via the gut-brain-axis and would provide a plausible mechanism by which dietary interventions operate. We propose to conduct a feasibility pilot study of a dietary intervention designed to optimise gut bacteria in children diagnosed with ADHD.

02

Conditions studied

  • ADHD
  • Diet Modification

Keywords

  • ADHD
  • Diet Modification
03

In context

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

1,548 studies on the registry are indexed under Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; 254 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 9 is below the median of 71 across 1,233 interventional studies indexed under Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity.

Browse Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity studies →

Lead sponsor

St Mary's University College is the lead sponsor of 27 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
8 Years to 13 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Parent-reported diagnosis of ADHD.
  2. Children aged between 8 years - 13 years 11 months at onset of study.
  3. Children not taking ADHD medication (such as methylphenidate) at the time of the study.
  4. Parental permission to attend three group sessions and for themselves and their child to complete the requisite assessments.
  5. Both males and females are eligible to take part.
  6. Children with a co-occurring diagnosis will be accepted onto the trial.
  7. Children with food allergies/sensitivities/coeliac disease will be accepted onto the trial.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Children undergoing a current course of behavioural therapy.
  2. Children currently on ADHD medication (such as methylphenidate).
  3. Children who have taken antibiotics in the past 3 months
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
9 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Diet modification

    Other: Diet modification

Interventions

  • OtherDiet modification

    The parents will have four group sessions with a nutritional therapist, where in depth advice and information about the diet will be provided. Ongoing support will also be provided throughout the study by use of a closed Facebook or WhatsApp group (whichever the parents choose as most appropriate). The diet is based on five main principles: * Eat at least seven portions of different varieties of fruit and vegetables each day. * Have a 12 hour overnight break from food (water only during this time). * Drink a Kefir drink each day - provided free of charge. * Eat a microbiome friendly, protein rich, breakfast from our menu. * Reduce sugar and artificial sweeteners.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Completion of study

    What proportion of participants completed the study?

    Time frame: final week

Secondary outcomes

  1. Adherence to diet

    Percentage adherence to diet over the 4-week period based on parental report (range 0-100 % - high score reflecting greater degree of adherence).

    Time frame: week 6 of diet

  2. Side-effects

    Parent-reported side effects during course of study. (Qualitative) (More/more side-effects reflect poorer outcome).

    Time frame: duration of the 6 week diet

  3. The Conners Clinical Index (Conners CI) - Parent-report

    Parental report of clinical symptoms (percentile score - higher score reflects more/more severe symptoms) 1. Disruptive Behavior Indicator 2. Learning and Language Disorder Indicator 3. Mood Disorder Indicator 4. Anxiety Disorder Indicator 5. ADHD Indicator

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  4. The Conners Clinical Index (Conners CI) - Teacher-report

    Teacher report of clinical symptoms (percentile score - higher score reflects more/more severe symptoms) 1. Disruptive Behavior Indicator 2. Learning and Language Disorder Indicator 3. Mood Disorder Indicator 4. Anxiety Disorder Indicator 5. ADHD Indicator

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  5. The Conners Clinical Index (Conners CI) - Self-report

    Child self-report of clinical symptoms (percentile score - higher score reflects more/more severe symptoms) 1. Disruptive Behavior Indicator 2. Learning and Language Disorder Indicator 3. Mood Disorder Indicator 4. Anxiety Disorder Indicator 5. ADHD Indicator

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  6. Delayed Match to Sample test (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery - CANTAB) Latency (response time) Accuracy (correct patterns selected).

    Computerised test of visual working memory * DMS Percent Correct (overall, for all delays, simultaneous, 0 sec delay, 4 sec delay, 12 sec delay). Range 0-100% - higher score reflects greater accuracy. * DMS Mean \& Median Correct Latency (overall, for all delays, simultaneous, 0 sec delay, 4 sec delay, 12 sec delay). Range 0-∞ ms - higher score reflects worse performance. * DMS Correct Latency Standard Deviation. Range 0-∞ ms - higher score reflects worse performance. * DMS Mean Choices to Correct response. Range 0-4 - higher score reflects worse performance. * DMS Probability of Error Given Error. Range 0-1 - higher score reflects worse performance.

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  7. The Consensus Sleep Diary

    Record of sleep - used qualitatively to detect and remove artefacts from the data.

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  8. Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire

    Parental report of child's sleep A Total Sleep Disturbances score is calculated as the sum of all CSHQ scored questions, and can range from 33 to 99. A higher score indicates more problematic sleep.

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  9. Sleep self-report questionnaire

    Week long retrospective sleep survey (Scores range from 13-39 with a higher score indicating more/more severe sleep difficulties).

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  10. Actigraphy recordings

    Objective measure of sleep quality and daytime activity * Mean activity during sleep. Range 0-∞. A higher score = less sound sleep (worse). * Minutes spent awake during the down period. Range 0-∞. A higher score = less sound sleep (worse). * Sleep latency (time taken to fall asleep). Range 0-∞. A higher score = more time taken to fall asleep (worse). * Sleep efficiency (% down period spent asleep, after removing sleep latency). A higher score = better. * Wake after sleep onset (minutes spent awake during the down period after removing sleep latency). Range 0-∞. A higher score = less sound sleep (worse). * Sleep fragmentation (number of awakenings/ total minutes of sleep x 100) - Higher score = more fragmented sleep (worse). * Mean daytime activity (0-∞) not necessarily worse or better.

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  11. The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating

    Questionnaire to evaluate common gastrointestinal symptoms Total scores range from 15-105 (with higher scores reflecting more/more severe gastrointestinal symptoms). Subscales: 1. Abdominal pain (abdominal pain, hunger pains and nausea). Range 3-21 - a high score reflects worse symptoms. 2. Reflux syndrome (heartburn and acid regurgitation). Range 3-21 - a high score reflects worse symptoms. 3. Diarrhoea syndrome (diarrhoea, loose stools and urgent need for defecation). Range 3-21 - a high score reflects worse symptoms. 4. Indigestion syndrome (borborygmus, abdominal distension, eructation and increased flatus). Range 3-21 - a high score reflects worse symptoms. Range 3-21 - a high score reflects worse symptoms. 5. Constipation syndrome (constipation, hard stools and feeling of incomplete evacuation). Range 3-21 - a high score reflects worse symptoms.

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  12. Stool sample analysis for commensal bacteria and microbial diversity using 16S rRNA sequencing

    Analysis of bacterial strains and diversity within stool sample

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

  13. Treatment Acceptability Scale

    Questionnaire to assess the acceptability of the diet to parents of the children taking part in the study Score range 6-42 (High score reflects more positive attitude to treatment)

    Time frame: Baseline and week 6 of diet

07

Study locations

1 site
  • St Mary's University
    London, TW14SX, United Kingdom
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Lawrence K, Myrissa K, Toribio-Mateas M, Minini L, Gregory AM. Trialling a microbiome-targeted dietary intervention in children with ADHD-the rationale and a non-randomised feasibility study. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2022 May 23;8(1):108. doi: 10.1186/s40814-022-01058-4. PubMed 35606889 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — At the request of individual researchers.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started May 2019 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jul 2019, 2 months after the start.

Of 393 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, half reached primary completion within 24 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 43. This study's planned 2 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 418 studies reached it within 22 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 41.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Nov 8, 2018
First posted
Nov 13, 2018
StartActual
May 14, 2019
Primary completionEst.
Jul 2019
CompletionEst.
Jul 2019
Last update
Jun 6, 2019
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 6, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03737877
Lead sponsor
St Mary's University College
Collaborators
Goldsmiths, University of London
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 13, 2018
Start date
May 14, 2019
Primary completion
Jul 2019 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 2019 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 6, 2019

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in Jun 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion