Food Additives Cause Hyperactivity in Children

Parents have long maintained that food additives cause hyperactivity in their children, and now there’s a new study out of Britain confirming their belief. In an authoritative, double-blind study, the Brits have proved — contrary to food industry skepticism — that common food dyes as well as the food preservative sodium benzoate which are allhighly acidic can trigger hyperactivity in many children.

How definitive is the study? In light of the new findings, Britain’s Food Standards Agency issued an immediate advisory urging parents to limit their child’s intake of food additives if there are signs they affect behavior.

The study was led by Jim Stevenson, a psychology professor at England’s University of Southampton, and it demonstrated that hyperactivity could be set off both by acidic food dyes and by the acidic preservative sodium benzoate, which is commonly found in soft drinks, fruit juices, and even salad dressings. About 300 children in two age groups participated, a group of 3-year-olds and a group of 8- and 9-year-olds. In a controlled, double-blind study carried out over three one-week periods, the children were given one of three fruit drinks that all tasted exactly alike. One drink was additive-free, the second contained the amount of acidic dye and sodium benzoate found in a typical British child’s diet, and the third had additives in a lower concentration.

The children drank each of the three drinks for a week while under the observation of teachers, parents, and graduate students, all of whom used standardized behavior-evaluation tools to watch for hyperactivity. In both age groups, Stevenson discovered that the children were significantly more hyperactive when they drank the juice with the most acidic additives. Both groups responded to the reduced-additive drink, but the 3-year-olds had a bigger response than the older children. Within each age group, some children responded strongly to the drinks with acidic additives, while other children didn’t respond at all. The research team is looking into the possibility of genetic differences for an explanation of the range of sensitivity.

Dr. Robert O. Young stated, "the difference in thereactions by the children in the different age groupsto the acidic dyes and preservatives wasin relationship to each child's ability to buffer andthen eliminate these toxins from their body."

The researchers concluded that food additives alone could not cause full-blown ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), but warned that “these adverse effects could affect the child’s ability to benefit from the experience of school.”

Psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, author of several ADHD books, said he advises parents to steer their children away from food containing dyes and preservatives. He also cautions about giving children sweets. “I’ve seen too many kids who flip out after soda and birthday cake,” he said. “I urge them to eat whole foods. They’ll be healthier anyway.”

Dr Young suggests, "the ideal diet that will preventhyperactivity and attention-deficit in children is to eliminate ALL acidic foods and drinks (meat, dairy,sugar, soft drinks) and increase alkaline green fruits, veggies, oils, mineral salts and alkaline water every day."

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