Controversy has long surrounded the question of food additives' effects on behavior, particularly the relationship, if any, between additives and hyperactivity in children. The jury is still out on this hotly debated topic with a number of studies producing conflicting evidence. However, these contradictory findings suggest that parents of children with ADHD or a tendency toward hyperactivity should carefully monitor their children's diet for signs of sensitivity to certain processed foods.
Feingold Hypothesis
In 1973, pediatric allergist Benjamin Feingold made a presentation before the American Medical Association in which he cited 1,200 cases of hyperactivity that he claimed were linked to a sensitivity to food additives. According to "The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods," Feingold theorized that perhaps 40 to 50 percent of all hyperactivity in children could be traced to additives. The doctor subsequently proposed a diet excluding most food additives that he suggested could dramatically alter behavior in children sensitive to food colorings and preservatives. Although the majority of U.S.-based studies testing Feingold's hypothesis have turned up results that contradict the doctor's theories, studies in Australia and Canada have been significantly more supportive of the Feingold hypothesis.
Testing the Hypothesis
In one of the landmark studies of the Feingold hypothesis, a team of U.S. researchers led by Mortimer D. Gross studied a group of 39 children with moderate to severe learning disorders; 18 of the children also suffered from hyperactivity. For one week children were fed the Feingold diet, which eliminates artificial additives and salicylate-containing ingredients. Researchers then switched the test subjects to a second week on an unrestricted diet. No significant behavioral differences were noted. In an article in the January 1987 issue of the "Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry," the researchers concluded that "the Feingold Diet has no beneficial effect on most children with learning disorders, or on hyperkinetic children taking medication."
UK Agency Urges Ban
In the spring of 2008, the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency called upon food manufacturers to suspend their use of six artificial colors because of the ingredients' link to hyperactive behavior. The agency also unsuccessfully urged the European Union to ban the artificial colors as well. The ingredients targeted by the agency were tartrazine yellow, quinoline yellow, sunset yellow, carmoisine red, ponceau red and allura red.
Official FDA Position
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the agency charged with regulating the use of additives in foods. On its website dealing with Food Ingredients and Colors, the FDA acknowledges concerns about the link between additives and hyperactivity. However, the agency concludes that "results from studies on this issue either have been inconclusive, inconsistent or difficult to interpret due to inadequacies in study design." It also rejects the U.K. Food Standards Agency's claims of hyperactivity traceable to artificial coloring ingredients, noting that the FDA has studied the U.K. agency's findings and concluded that it doesn't substantiate a link between the colors and behavior.
References
- "The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods"; Michael T. Murray, Joseph Pizzorno and Lara Pizzorno; 2005
- "Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry"; The Effect of Diets Rich in and Free From Additives on the Behavior of Children With Hyperkinetic and Learning Disorders; Mortimer D. Gross et al.; January 1987
- Play Attention: ADHD and Food Additives: European Food Standards Agency Calls for Ban on Six Artificial Colors
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Ingredients and Colors
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