Thursday, November 18, 2010

Can foods cause ADHD or make it worse?


Most researchers and physicians feel that ADHD is genetically determined. Looking for a link to this disease and food has been going on for over 35 years yet no definitive information has been discovered.

"Scientific evidence is limited to support the association between food additives and ADHD symptoms," says Dr. Maida Galvez, M.D., director of the pediatric environmental health specialty unit at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City. "Although it is possible that a very small group of children who are allergic to artificial colorings or preservatives may show improvement in symptoms on restriction diets, evidence is insufficient to recommend routine, widespread use of restriction diets to treat a child's ADHD symptoms."

What makes this even more difficult to study is that most foods contain multiple dyes so knowing exactly which one might cause an increase in hyperactivity is tricky.

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