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A step closer to completely drug-free ADHD treatment
Published in
As I've mentioned before, I have two boys who I very carefully had diagnosed with ADHD and they are on medication. I do control as many symptoms as possible by monitoring their refined sugar intake and by watching food coloring, artificial flavors and preservatives. Here's a new article that helps to provide solid evidence that food additives do affect children negatively. I wish I could send it home to some of my students' parents. Their lunches and breakfasts are atrocious.
A-sprout
New study links food additives to hyperactivity in children
Thu Sep 6, 6:59 AM
PARIS (AFP) - A cocktail of artificial colours and the commonly-used preservative sodium benzoate are linked to hyperactivity in children, according to a ground-breaking study published Thursday by The Lancet.
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The implications are far-reaching, say the investigators, who suggest that by vetting their child's diet, parents have a simple tool to help them tackle hyperactive behaviour.
Researchers at Southampton University recruited 153 local three-year-olds and 144 children aged eight or nine and assigned them to either of two groups.
One group received an ordinary fruit juice and the other was given a drink identical in look and taste that contained common commercial additives. Both drinks were supplied to parents in identical, sealed anonymous bottles.
The "additives" group itself was split into two batches.
Some children were given "Mix A," a drink which contained artificial colourings typically found in a couple of 56-gramme (two-ounce) bags of sweets.
Others were given "Mix B" which had a higher level of colourings, equivalent (in the dosage for the eight-year-olds) to consuming the additives in four such bags of sweets.
Both mixes had the same amount of sodium benzoate.
Before the six-week trial began, the researchers asked parents and teachers to assess the child for overactive, impulsive and inattentive behaviour -- the hallmarks of hyperactivity.
A third yardstick was given by trained observers (in fact, psychology graduates), who sat discreetly in the classrooms and noted each child's behaviour according to an international set of measures.
For the first week of the trial, the children followed their typical diet.
After that, sweets and drinks with additives were withdrawn, and parents were asked to substitute with the trial drink instead.
The amount of the drink given to the child was in proportion to the amount of artificial colouring removed from their usual diet. The parents did not know whether the drink was Mix A, Mix B or the placebo.
Six weeks later, the children were assessed again for hyperactivity.
Mix A had a "significantly adverse" effect on the three-year-olds, although Mix B made no difference on this group. In the older children, both Mix A and Mix B had a strong effect.
"Overall, children who took the mix moved about 10 percent closer to the definition of being hyperactive," lead author Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at the university, told AFP.
"We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children," said Stevenson.
"However, parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent all hyperactive disorders. We know that many other influences are at work, but this at least is one a child can avoid."
The first caution about food additives and their impact on child health were made more than three decades ago, but evidence to give flesh to this warning has been scant or contested as unscientific.
In the past decade, hyperactivity has -- apparently -- ballooned into serious proportions in some countries, stirring controversy along the way.
US doctors commonly see hyperactivity as a medical condition (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD) and prescribe a potent drug, ritalin, to treat it.
Other experts speculate that hyperactivity has social causes such as home instability and poor education, and say use of powerful, mind-altering drugs is dangerous.
In the new study, Mix A comprised 45mg of sodium benzoate and 20mg of artificial food colourings, namely sunset yellow (European food code E110), carmoisine (E122); tartrazine (E102); and ponceau 4R (E124).
Our Precious Children
Dear Alfalfasprout,
I have often heard and read the effects food may have on those affected with ADHD. I was so pleased to see your post. Finally, a scientific study to confirm this.
I recall very few persons affected with any of these conditions when I was in school, in fact, I can't even think of anyone... now it is so widespread and seems to be growing. What has changed .... the food. Genetically modified foods didn't exist and now unless it specifically states so on the label, how does one even know what they are eating. Sugar, it's in everything, chemicals, additives, and the list goes on.
I have a step grand daughter who was diagnosed with ADHD and was on Ritalin for years. Later, she was reevaluated and is no longer on Ritalin because she was diagnosed as learning disabled instead. We attended her high school graduation and she came back with us to visit for two weeks. (She lives a distance of about an 8 hour drive from here so we don't get to see her as often as we would like). She does require adult supervision. Something amazing happened while she was here. I was doing Dahn Yoga and Dahnak KiGong. She was very interested in participating so I held the remote and stopped the program from time to time to explain the movements and meaning behind them. As we continued through what normally would be an hour (30 minutes of each) she kept saying, "Grandma, this yoga stuff is wonderful" "I feel so relaxed, I can't explain it, hmmm I guess the best way to describe it is that I don't feel angry. I am always so angry inside I can't think right" "and the more I try, the angrier I get" .... "When we finish this, can we do it over and over again?" ...........Yoga, meditation, ki gong, etc. for children, regardless of whether they have ADHD, a learning disability, autism, or any of the growing number of problems our precious children are affected by, should be researched and studied.
Blessings to you and your precious family,
Suncatcher
comments
I was reading about the study in Newsweek also, and I found that I agree with this statement that one of the researchers said :
“It supports what dietitians have known for a long time, that feeding children on diets largely consisting of heavily processed foods which may also be high in fat, salt or sugar is not optimal for health.” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20612862/)
also here is another article from the same publication who talks about non-drug ways to help with ADHD:
"New research suggests simple techniques that give more structure to a preschooler's day can offer a nondrug alternative to help the tiniest sufferers of ADHD.
The research highlights a poorly understood problem. Yes, frazzled parents know it's normal for preschoolers to be hyperactive, impulsive and have problems paying attention. But some are too hyperactive, too impulsive, and too inattentive — they can develop hallmark ADHD symptoms that young.
......
Consistent rules and routines
What helped? Stressing consistent rules and routines, and more praise for good behavior than punishment for bad. Surprisingly, both groups fared equally well, raising questions about how to tell which children need more intense aid.
Preschoolers with ADHD learn more through repeated practice than through observing social cues like other youngsters, DuPaul says. So the study stressed role-playing things like how to ask to share a toy.
Channel extra energy to avert misbehavior, adds study co-author Lee Kern, a Lehigh special education professor. For example, kids who couldn't sit still for circle time were handed an instrument to play while their classmates sang.
Parents were taught to reserve stronger punishments for worst cases, and to try reward systems where children gain or lose "points" for behavior instead. Even the time-out standby was to be used sparingly.
"If they end up in time-out a lot of time, they're not learning social skills," Kern says. "We want parents and teachers to implement strategies that prevent the behavior and teach children skills."
here is the link to the full article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20575752/
drug free
Hey A-sprout ~ so nice to see your insightful posts ~
"US doctors commonly see hyperactivity as a medical condition (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD) and prescribe a potent drug, ritalin, to treat it."
Hopefully soon - ritalin will be replaced by the methods you share with us on treating ADHD ~ It seems it is a wide spread problem and a drug free treatment would be such a great blessing to so many ~
Many blessings ~
~ Coralina ~