Do Foods Negatively Affect Hyperactivity In Children?

Since the early 1990s, parents and teachers have worried about a link between the food children ingest and incidences of hyperactivity and other behavioral issues. Some research points to a seeming correlation between things like synthetic food dyes and hyperactivity. Each child and, in turn, each childhood diet is different, however, making it difficult to form definitive conclusions.

Food Additives

Food and food additives are digested by the intestines, move through the bloodstream and enter the brain. An Australian study published in the July 1997 issue of the "European Journal of Pediatrics" shows that once ingested, food additives hypothesized to be detrimental, like food dyes and other additives, influenced hyperkinetic brain activity that translates to behavior on the hyperactive spectrum. A study from researchers at the University of Maryland, published in the January 1983 issue of the "Journal of Physiology," suggested that the mechanism by which additives might affect children’s brains is through the chemicals’ undesired binding to neurotransmitter receptors, causing a false and excitatory signal and release. This study was conducted using frogs, however, so further research in this area is warranted. Laurine Brown, Ph.D., of Indiana Wesleyan University reports this effect as being like “brain static.” Overall, the evidence is mixed on whether there is significant correlation between food colorings and additives and hyperactivity.

Allergies and Sensitivities

Food allergies and ingestion of too much refined sugar are hypothesized to be co-factors in chronic childhood hyperactivity as well. Processed sugars enter the bloodstream quickly and produce rapid fluctuation in blood glucose levels, triggering adrenaline release and affecting behavior. As of 2011, evidence does not suggest that sugar is a cause of more severe attention deficit disorders, such as ADHD. Food allergies, like those to salicylates found in foods such as tomatoes and cherries, are reported by researchers like Dr. Benjamin Feingold, Chief Emeritus of the Department of Allergy at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Francisco, to have a significant impact on hyperactive behavior. For this reason, Feingold recommends an elimination diet for the treatment of hyperactivity and ADHD.
Nerves, along with hormones and other psychoactive substances, control virtually all of your body’s functions. Even the smallest interruption or change in the way the brain functions can affect your behavior. In small children and some adults, this can result in difficulty focusing and hyperactivity. Evidence is mixed on the extent to which these factors contribute to hyperactivity and ADHD, however, and continued research is needed.

Clinical Research

Many research studies have been conducted on the hypothesized connection between food and food additives and childhood hyperactivity. A British study from the University of Southampton, published in the June 2004 issue of "Archives of Disease in Childhood," investigated the effect of food coloring and preservatives in the diet of young children. The study concluded there is a general adverse effect on behavior. Another double-blind study by Australian researchers Dengate and Ruben appearing in the August 2002 issue of the “Journal of Paediatric Child Health” reports that restlessness, inattention and sleep disturbance may be caused by preservatives in foods that are consumed daily.

Controversy

Controversy surrounds the etiology and treatment options for children suffering from chronic hyperactivity and ADD/ADHD. In April 2011, an FDA panel noted that the evidence suggests children who are affected by artificial dyes and preservatives have a unique sensitivity to the chemicals. Even though the FDA does not recognize a definitive link between disorders on the hyperactivity spectrum and synthetic dyes and preservatives, ongoing research and a growing number of concerned parents and teachers may help to encourage continued investigation and discovery.