Ebook Diet, ADHD & Behavior
This report reviews 23 controlled studies of the effect of food dyes and other dietary constituents on the behavior of children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other behavioral problems. Though the studies are limited due to the number of subjects, extent of dietary changes tested,assessment techniques, and other factors, 17 of the 23 studies found evidence that some children's behavior significantly worsens after they consume artificial colors or certain foods, such as milk or wheat. Limited research with such tools as electroencephalography (EEG)indicates that certain foods trigger physiological changes in sensitive individuals. Notwithstanding the evidence from numerous studies, many health organizations and medical experts deny that diet can provoke adverse behaviors and that modified diets may benefit patients.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) largely dismisses diet as a treatment approach, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)has cosponsored with an industry trade association a misleading pamphlet that denies the effect of diet on behavior.Ignoring or denying (or exaggerating) the effect of diet on behavior is not helpful to children and their families. The federal government, the food industry, organizations concerned about children with behavioral problems, and psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers should recognize that diet sometimes can help children who have behavioral problems.
Parents should consider modifying their children’s diets for several weeks to ascertain any benefit before resorting to medications. That is particularly the case because the stimulant drugs routinely used to treat ADHD may cause side effects, and the most commonly used drug, methylphenidate (Ritalin), increased the incidence of liver cancer in a study on mice. Of course, modifying a child’s diet can be difficult in a society in which problem foods are ubiquitous,though perhaps no more difficult than adhering to a kosher or vegetarian diet.
This report recommends:
•Government, private agencies, and health practitioners concerned about children with ADHD and other behavioral problems should acknowledge the potential for diet to affect behavior and should advise parents to consider modifying their child’s diet as a first means of treatment. Those organizations should update their publications to describe accurately the effect of diet on behavior and the evidence that methylphenidate caused cancer in mice and may pose a risk in humans.
•Parents should consider dietary changes
(along with behavioral therapy) as the first course of treatment for children
with behavioral problems before turning to stimulant drugs.
•The National Institutes of Health should sponsor research to determine which (and to what extent) foods and food additives affect behavior, develop methods for identifying children most sensitive to foods, investigate the underlying biological bases for sensitivity to dietary constituents,develop techniques to reduce the impact of foods on children’s behavior,develop techniques for increasing the ease and effectiveness of dietary treatment, conduct animal studies to investigate possible long-term effects (carcinogenic, behavioral, reproductive,teratogenic, and other) of stimulant drugs, conduct long-term studies on large numbers of users of stimulant drugs to identify any adverse effects(such as behavioral disorders, social problems, cancer, reproductive
problems, or other health problems),and study the efficacy of nutritional
supplements (including fatty acids,minerals, and vitamins) in treating
behavioral disorders. Also, NIH should sponsor a new consensus conference
on diet and ADHD/behavior to supersede a previous inadequate conference.
•The FDA should require certain new and existing additives to be tested for
behavioral effects. It should consider banning from foods consumed widely
by children any dyes and other additives that affect behavior. The FDA
should stop endorsing literature that denies that diet can affect behavior.
Also, it should advise the public that because methylphenidate caused liver
cancer in mice that drug should not be the primary choice for treating ADHD.
•Fast-food chains and manufacturers of foods, drugs, and vitamin supplements
popular with children should minimize the use of dyes and other unnecessary
additives.
•Pediatric hospitals and psychiatric clinics, as well as schools and camps,should minimize the use of food additives that may contribute to
behavioral disorders.
Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Studies on Diet and ADHD
Studies that found some effect of diet on behavior
Studies that found little or no effect of diet on behavior
Discussion
How many children with ADHD are affected by diet?
How much dye do children consume?
Limitations in study designs
Experts’ denials of effects of diet
Choosing a treatment: medication or diet?
Adverse effects of stimulant drugs
The role of regulation
Recommendations
Appendix 1. Sugar and ADHD
Appendix 2. Studies of Diet and Behavior
Appendix 3. The Conventional Wisdom on Diet and ADHD
Appendix 4. Is Your Child Sensitive to Food Ingredients?
Table 1. Effects of Diet on Behavior (Double-blind Studies)
Table 2. Effects of Diet on Behavior (Studies not Double-blind)
Endnotes
Download
PDF Ebook Diet, ADHD & Behavior
Posted in :
