Whether your child’s food consumption can cause behavior problems or attention problems has long been a controversial topic especially between parents and physicians. You probably know parents who are convinced that sugar makes their child’s ADHD (attention Deficit hyper disorder) worse. There are those who have noticed changes in their child’s behavior after consuming certain processed foods or foods containing artificial dyes. You have probably talked to physicians or read about scientific studies denying any connection between ADHD or behaviors and food.

Artificial colorings and preservatives may be associated with hyperactivity in children according to some research. However, stating that there is an association is not admitting there is a proven relationship. A recent article from the Mayo Clinic goes on to say that there is no proof that food additives cause attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While most of us would agree with that food doesn’t cause ADHD, we still may believe that some foods exacerbate the ADHD. We have seen enough evidence to indicate that ADHD is a hereditary disorder.

A recent study involving 300 children between the ages of three and nine years may fuel the debate about the effects of food additives on children’s behavior. The study was funded by the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency and the results of those tested were published in September 2007. The results indicated that there were varying degrees of hyperactive behavior in the children after they drank fruit drinks that contained food colorings and preservatives. The additives that were assessed in the study were sodium benzoate, sunset yellow, carmoisine, ponceau 4R, tartrazine, quinoline yellow, and allura red.

Because the additives were mixed together in the fruit drinks during the study, researchers could not determine which of the additives caused the changes behavior. Certainly, this study is an eye opener for researchers and more studies would certainly be warranted. Parents who have always known that their children are affected by certain foods would probably appreciate having their suspicions justified.

The Food Standards Agency in response to the study advised parents to monitor their children's activity after eating. If parents noticed significant changes in their children’s behavior after they consumed foods containing additives, they should eliminate these foods from their children's diets. Wow parents, don’t you feel better knowing that you have their permission to eliminate these foods from your child’s diet?

If you suspect that a food is affecting your child’s behavior, try eliminating it from your child’s diet for a couple of weeks. If it makes a difference, don’t add it back. However, this can be difficult to do. For example, if you suspect your child is affected by wheat, and you start reading labels, you realize that almost everything contains trace amounts of wheat.

When our daughter Ami turned one, we tried switching her to regular milk. She screamed all week long, so we have been buying her soymilk for the past three months. When we stopped the regular milk, the screaming stopped. Be careful not to make your child’s diet so restrictive that it results in nutritional deficiencies in your growing child.

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Photo Credit 2007 Julia Fuller