Food additives increased hyperactive behavior

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Shula Edelkind <shula> <FAUS-ENEWS> 9/8/2007 6:07:29 PM> [FAUS-ENEWS] FINALLY!!>> Dear Feingold Association Members & Friends,>> In case you haven't seen it in the newspapers or on the Today Show, I > wanted to be sure to share some exciting news!>> Dr. Jim Stevenson and his team of researchers at Southampton > University have just completed and published their much-anticipated > research on normal children in England given drinks with a mix of > coloring plus preservatives.>> The study was published online in The Lancet on September 6, 2007, > and is called:>> Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and > 8/9-year-old children in the> community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlledtrial>> STUDY CONCLUSION:> ===================> ARTIFICIAL COLORS OR A SODIUM BENZOATE PRESERVATIVE (or both) IN THE > DIET RESULT IN INCREASED HYPERACTIVITY IN 3-YEAR-OLD AND 8/9-YEAR-OLD > CHILDREN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION.>===================================================================================>> We are happy that the study is getting so much press attention -- it > is certainly time to stop ignoring good research showing the link > between additives and behavior. I have provided links to articles > in online magazines and newspapers near the bottom of this > email. However, if you are like me, you also want to know what the > study itself says, so here it is, in a (somewhat long) nutshell:>> 153 3-year-old and 144 8/9-year-old children were included in the study.>> Artificial coloring and the preservative to be tested were removed > from their diet during the time of the study.>> The challenge drink contained a preservative and artificial colors in > a fruit juice mix. The placebo drink was just a fruit juice mix that > looked and tasted the same.>> The researchers delivered the juice mixes to the family each week, > and neither the children, the parents, or the researchers knew which > was which at that time, making it a double-blind-placebo-control study.>> Salicylates were not considered and were obviously included in the > juice mix since two children could not be included in the study > because of an allergy to blackberry juice.>> The main outcome measure was called a global hyperactivity aggregate > (GHA), and it was based on recorded behaviors and ratings of the > children by teachers and parents, plus a computer test of attention > for the older group.>> There were two kinds of challenge drinks: MIX A and MIX B>> MIX A contained the following food dyes:>> Sunset Yellow -- FD & C Yellow #6> Carmoisine -- a red dye not allowed in the US> Tartrazine -- FD & C Yellow #5> Ponceau 4R -- FD & C Red #4, not allowed in US>> MIX A given to the 3-year-olds contained 20 mg of the > mixed artificial colors.> MIX A given to the 8/9 year-olds contained 24.98 mg of > mixed artificial colors.>> MIX B contained the following food dyes:>> Sunset Yellow -- FD & C Yellow #6> Carmoisine -- a red food dye not allowed in US> Quinoline Yellow -- a yellow food dye not allowed in US> Allura Red -- FD & C Red #40>> MIX B given to the 3-year-olds contained 30 mg of mixed colors.> MIX B given to the 8/9 year-olds contained 62.4 mg of mixedcolors.>> Both mixes contained 45 mg of sodium benzoate as the preservative to betested.>> 20, 30, even 62 mg of food dye may be - as they say - the amount of > dye in a few sweets, but remember that children also consume food dye > in their toothpaste, their shampoo (through the scalp), their hand > lotion (through their skin), their cereal, their juice drinks, their > mac 'n cheese, etc. In fact, in 1977 the National Academy of > Sciences did a huge study on 12,000 people and determined that most > people in the United States eat up to an average of 317 mg of food > dyes per day. The amount children in the UK consume is likely to be > close to that.>> As far as we know, the reason that they did not use BHA, BHT, or > TBHQ, is that these preservatives have already been removed from most > food for children in the UK. Possibly, therefore, the children > consume much more sodium benzoate than American children. Although > this preservative is not eliminated on the Feingold Program, products > containing it are marked in the Foodlist so that people beginning the > diet may avoid it, and so that people who are sensitive to it may > continue to avoid it.>> Most children who completed the study drank more than 2/3 of the drinks.>> 64% of the younger children reported 2 or fewer infractions per week.> 66% of the older children reported 2 or fewer infractions per week> Very few children had more than 4 infractions per week.>> In recruiting the children, the researchers were careful to find > children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and to make sure that > they were a random sample including some hyperactive children and > some non-hyperactive children, as is found in the general > population. The researchers also used additional controls to avoid > placebo effects.>> Parents completed a daily diary of juice consumption and compliance, > and any bottles of juice not consumed were returned and contents > measured to validate parent reports.>> Parents rated the children's behavior each week for the seven weeks > of the study, and the children were also observed by psychology > graduate students given special training. The children were observed > 3 times a week for 8 minutes each.>> The Conners continuous performance test was used for the older > children. It is a computerized test of attention.>> RESULTS:>> For the younger children, both MIX A and MIX B both had a significant > effect, but the calculation of MIX B versus placebo was not > significant for them because their response to it varied very widely.>> For the older children, MIX A did not have a significant effect (not > surprising - look at the small dose of coloring) but MIX B did.>> The researchers concluded that artificial colors or a sodium benzoate > preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity > in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.>> Before starting this study, the researchers also took DNA samples of > the children, intending to find out whether certain genes make the > children more likely to respond to the additives. The results of the > genetic analysis will be published in the future.>> @@@@>> There has been quite a lot of press coverage about the study, and you > can see a number of articles that have been sent me just today at the > links below. Some of these newspapers will be transferring their > articles into archives, so these links may not be permanent, but > surely at least some of them will work for a week or so.>> Major Study Indicates a Link Between Hyperactivity in Children and > Certain Food Additives> (This is a press release from the University of Southampton where the > study was done.)> http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2007/sep/07_99.shtml>> Study ties hyperactivity in kids to food additives> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20612862/>> Food alert as every additive comes under new suspicion> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2395623.ece>> Children who eat junk food 'worst behaved'>http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/children-who-eat-junk-food-worst-behaved/2007/09/05/1188783287866.html>> Imagine-Did You Know That Food Additives Cause Hyperactivity?>http://jingjiad.com/reenazaia/2007/09/05/imagine-did-you-know-that-food-additives-cause-hyperactivity/>> After 30 years of debate, fears over children's food confirmed> http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2163218,00.html>> Danger to children from food and drink additives is exposed> http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2163224,00.html>> Food Colorings and Hyperactivity> http://www.myomancy.com/2007/09/food-colorings-and-hyperactivity>>> Shula Edelkind> Feingold Association of the United States> http://www.feingold.org> http://www.ADDdiet.com> http://www.diet-studies.com> http://www.school-lunch.org> 554 E. Main Street, Suite #301> Riverhead, NY 11901> 1-631-369-9340> ====================================> You are receiving this email because you have> d to the email newsletter of the Feingold> Association. If you wish to un-, go to> http://www.feingold.org/forms/OFFform.html>> If you have an email address change, go to> http://www.feingold.org/forms/CHANGEform.html> ====================================>>>>> -- > > > Version: 7.5.485 / Virus Database: 269.13.8/993 - Release 9/6/20073:18 PM>>> _____________> FAUS-ENEWS mailing list> http://feingold.iownanisp.com:8080/mailman/listinfo/faus-enews--

 

 

 

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Hi, thanks for the article. This is what I do for a living, work with ADHD and other troubled kids. These kids are sugar-shocked as well as plied with toxins, caffeine, and many foods they are allergic to. All the wheat in today's diet, it's everywhere, creates such an allergy and people don't know they are allergic to it because the symptoms are diffuse. Same with candida. These school lunches are horrific, so many carbs that candida just thrive and the immune system reacts to the candida toxins as well.Thanks for contributing to the group. I hope to hear from you all. Kelly