Birmingham, AL -
Here is good news for people with ADHD.
Just minutes of exercise a day can help children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) do better at school.
A new small study suggests that exercise could provide an alternative to drug treatment.
Twenty children with ADHD and 20 children without the disorder, ages 8 to 10.
They either walked briskly for 20 minutes on a treadmill or sat and read.
The children then completed a short reading comprehension and math test, and also played a computer game that assessed their ability to ignore distractions and focus on their goal.
The study shows that a single session of exercise can help children with ADHD ignore distractions and focus on a task.
All of the children performed better on both tests after exercising.
The study is published in the latest Journal of Pediatrics.
