Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a neurological behavioral disorder that affects 3 to 5 percent of school age children and if it goes untreated can plague their adult life. According to ADHD News, symptoms of the disorder could include poor concentration, short attention span, impulsiveness, inflexible personality, poor coordination, low self-esteem and appetite issues. Once diagnosed with ADHD, it may be helpful to eliminate certain foods from the diet that could be triggering this behavior.
Grains and Gluten
Grains and foods that contain gluten may be contributing to the onset of symptoms people diagnosed with ADHD experience. According to the website Gaia Health, many people who suffer from ADHD also suffer from inflammatory bowel conditions such as celiac's disease or have a gluten sensitivity. In fact, in a study published in the November 2006 issue of the "Journal of Attention Disorders," Helmut Niederhofer and Klaus Pittschieler concluded that celiac disease can be associated with ADHD. They found that for those who have either condition or experience both can see remarkable improvements in their symptoms from following a completely gluten-free diet. In order to remove gluten from the diet, the easiest way is to eliminate all grains, both whole and processed. It is also imperative to eliminate all processed foods because they often contain gluten as well. ADHD sufferers should remain gluten-free for several months to see if their symptoms improve. At that point, it is advised to add one grain product back into their diet at a time to note if any symptomatic problems arise.
Dairy
Dairy products, especially the milk protein casein, may also make ADHD symptoms worse for those who suffer from this disorder. A study done in 1996 by Dr. Kalle Reichelt in Norway, proved that following a dairy-free diet could improve ADHD symptoms. For one year, Reichelt and colleagues followed around 23 ADHD children. They put all the children on a casein-free diet and tested their behavior periodically and after that year was over. They found that 22 out of the 23 children showed remarkable improvements in their ADHD symptoms, especially in their everyday behavior and attention spans. To eliminate casein from the diet, it is important to not only cut out dairy products but to also reduce or eliminate most processed foods too. Much like gluten, casein is used as a food additive in many processed foods.
Food Additives
There is no solid evidence that food additives cause ADHD but there are studies that have shown that additives such as food coloring can make ADHD symptoms worse. One study published in the December 2004 issue of the "Journal of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics," Schab and colleagues concluded that food additives such as artificial food colorings did in fact make ADHD individuals worse. They all experienced heightened symptoms while consuming foods that contained food coloring. John E. Huxsahl, M.D. from the Mayo Clinic states that people who suffer from ADHD should stay away sodium bezoate, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Yellow No. 10, adn FD&C Red No.40. He reports that all these additives have been linked to worsen ADHD symptoms. Food additives unfortunately are in a lot of foods so a bit of trial and error may have to take place to see which additives trigger ADHD symptoms.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children
- Gaia Health: The First Line of Defense Against ADHD: Eliminate Grains and Dairy
- ADHD News: What is ADHD?
- PubMed U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: A preliminary investigation of ADHD symptoms in persons with celiac disease.
- The ADHD Information Library: Recent Study on Milk and ADHD
- PubMed U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: Do artificial food colors promote hyperactivity in children with hyperactive syndromes? A meta-analysis of double-blind placebo-controlled trials.
