According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.6 million elementary school-aged children have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Hyperactivity is associated with educational difficulties which can lead to trouble in school. Many parents of hyperactive children have long suspected that artificial ingredients in foods worsen their children's behavior. Now there's evidence to back up those suspicions.
A recent study in The Lancet is the first to show a link between various common food dyes and additives, such as "sunset yellow," "allura red," and sodium benzoate (a preservative used in many soft drinks, fruit juices, salad dressings and other foods) and hyperactivity in some children.
The research tracked 300 children in two groups, 3-year-olds and 8- and 9-year-olds, who were put on a diet free from additives and given one drink per day containing either fruit juice or a mixture of benzoate preservative and food coloring. The additive mixes for the 3-year-old children were comparable to the amount of food coloring in two 56-gram bags of sweets, whereas the mixes offered to the 8/9-year-old children were equivalent to two to four bags of sweets per day.
Parents reported their child's juice consumption and diet using a daily diary, and rated their child's behavior for activities such as talking too much, restlessness, concentration and others. Other measures of behavior included an ADHD questionnaire, the Conners continuous performance test II (using visual stimuli to assess attention) and a classroom observation code, which assessed the occurrence of 12 different behaviors in children under teacher supervision.
After two weeks, children in both groups were significantly more hyperactive when drinking the beverages containing additives. Researchers concluded that food additives worsen hyperactive behaviors such as inattention, impulsivity and overactivity in children, at least up to middle childhood. More importantly, the adverse effects occur not only in children with ADHD, but also in the general population of children.
Hyperactivity has complex causes and cannot be cured by simply avoiding food colorings. But by limiting preservatives and artificial flavorings in children's diets and replacing them with natural, whole foods, they have a sound foundation for health and wellness.
References
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