Food additives 'cause temper tantrums' hyperactivity

NewScientist.com news service ^ | 13:05 25 October 02 | Emma Young

[Mark Felton]

Common food additives cause "substantial effects" on some young children's behaviour, increasing temper tantrums and hyperactivity, according to a UK study. However, the results have been deemed inconclusive by other scientists and the paper has been rejected by peer-reviewed journals.

The study involved giving children fruit juice laced with low levels of common food and drink additives. It was commissioned by the UK government in 1999 and completed in 2001. The results have now been discovered in the library of the Food Standards Agency by a campaign group called the Food Commission.

Researchers at the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre in Newport, Isle of Wight gave children the additive-laced fruit juice and a placebo juice that appeared identical. Lab-based psychological tests did not reveal any changes during the period when the children drank the laced juice, but the parents of one quarter of the children recorded a significant increase in disruptive behaviour.

At the time, the Food Standards Agency decided the results were scientifically inconclusive, based on advice from other medical experts. Their key concern was that parental observation could not provide a reliable measurement of children's behaviour. But the researchers who did the study, and the Food Commission, contend that parents are better placed to observe real behaviour in natural conditions than lab-based scientists.

"Significant changes in children's hyperactive behaviour could be produced by the removal of colourings and additives from their diet," the researchers concluded. They go on to write: "The findings of the present study suggest that benefit would accrue for all children from such a change, and not just those already showing hyperactive behaviour."

Sunset Yellow

A group of 277 three-year-olds took part in the month-long study. For two weeks, they drank a fruit juice laced with 20 milligrammes in total of food colourings Tartrazine (E102), Sunset Yellow (E110), Carmoisine (E122) and Ponceau 4R (E124). The doses were well below those permitted in food and drink in the UK. The juice also contained permitted levels of the preservative sodium benzoate (E211).

[More on this story]

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Weblinks

David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre

Food Commission, UK

Food Standards Agency

British Nutrition Foundation

For the other two weeks, the children drank a placebo juice that appeared identical. During the study, the children, parents and researchers did not know in which order which child drank the juices.

Parents kept diaries, noting behaviours such as 'fiddling with objects', 'temper tantrums' and 'disturbing others'. Increased disruptive behaviour was recorded even for some children who had no history of hyperactivity.

"Now that a link between these colourings has been proved, we should remove these additives from children's foods and drinks," says Annie Seeley of the Food Commission. The group says it has identified about 100 children's foods and drinks that contain one of the additives tested in the study.

But other groups, such as the British Nutrition Foundation, says a link between these additives and disruptive behaviour remains unclear.

[Mark Felton]

I still contend certain "new" and expanding health conditions may well be attributed to synthetic or unnatural food additives. The truth is that there are no adequate studies, particularly long-term studies that measure mild to moderate alterations in emotional responses, energy levels, autoimmune, neurological or endocrine/exocrine changes.

[aimhigh]

The truth is that there are no adequate studies,..

And there never will be, if they can help it. Even after a hundred more studies, they will say, "More research is needed."

[RepoGirl]

I agree. There's always junk-science and food fads to scare the gullible. Heck, back in the mid-seventies, when I was just a mere lass, my older sister discovered health food and as a result proclaimed that "white sugar caused hyperactivity and nervousness in children, especially blond haired, blue eyed children" after reading it in some 70's era hippie magazine. The fact that she had no scientific proof of this was merely beside the point, you understand. She'd read it in print, especially in a super left-wing hippy mag, it was good enough.

Being that 1) I could pass for an extra in the movie Children of the Damned and 2) she held sway with my Mom, I was denied my beloved Coco Pebbles (and just about everything else I loved) for the better part of a year, and fed all sorts of horrific rabbit food as a result.

Did it 'cure' my hyperactivity? Of course not. I'd never been hyperactive to begin with. But... I sure was angry after that...

[NUCKLEHEAD]

The study involved giving children fruit juice laced with low levels of common food and drink additives.

You may be correct about synthetic additives, but I'd like to see them start by giving a non-sugar-water drink versus a sugar-water drink.

I just bring it up because I've seen many parents complain (after a child has had 1.5 Cokes or several box-drinks) that they cannot sleep, are overly active, fussy etc... like a hummingbird, I suspect.

[lizma]

"white sugar caused hyperactivity and nervousness in children"

I did a pediatric psych roatation in school when this was the rage. Sat through dozens of interviews with dozen of parents who blamed sugar for their kid's behaviour.

My conclusions: Lazy self-centered parents raise bratty kids and blame it on the sugar products they used to appease them. (heck of lot easier than doing the discipline thing!)

[JameRetief]

The two most important factors in our health, both physical and mental, are oils and sugars.

If you cut out all processed oils, consume only natural or expeller pressed oils (especially the EFAs), cut out all refined sugars and consume only naturally occuring sugars (like eating an apple or banana), you will notice a definite physical improvement and a definite mental improvement. I altered my diet to include the above changes about a year ago and the difference is quite noticeable.

There is plenty of research on the subjects. You just have to look for it.

[Chemnitz]

Great webpage, Repo. I loved your comments on health food. I think some tantrums are caused by mothers relying on sugar treats and greasy snacks. However, the base cause is the mother allowing and caving in for tantrums. Of course they are a part of growing up, as you will discover when baby hits two, then four.

We were at the Cleveland Clinic when a baby was brought in malnourished. Guess what? The hippie parents decided to put their newborn on their hippy diet. He was skin and bones. They tought milk was bad. OOOOOh. Nurses called him Bean Sprout because he was so tiny. A little real food and he was fine again.

[MHGinTN]

Have certain food proteins been implicated in autism?

[RepoGirl]

We were at the Cleveland Clinic when a baby was brought in malnourished. Guess what? The hippie parents decided to put their newborn on their hippy diet. He was skin and bones. They tought milk was bad. OOOOOh. Nurses called him Bean Sprout because he was so tiny. A little real food and he was fine again.

Oh god, that reminds me of that case that happened a few years ago--where the parents thought their child was the second coming of Christ, so they didn't want to contaminate him with 'sinful' food--so they fed him watermelon and lettuce. Of course, the kid was like two years old and about the size of a four-month old.

Does anyone remember that? Creepy case.

I hope that poor child that came into your clinic was able to thrive after medical attention--and I hope his idiot hippy parents got a boot to the head.

Lizma, I totally agree with your conclusions. Bad parenting. If it ain't the rock music junior listens to, it must be all those snacks he eats (of course, the parents don't curtail the snacks...) My stellar parenting skills can't be to blame (don't get me started, I'm reading Dr. Laura right now... ;-)

Personally, as a child of the 70s... I think HIPPIES were the major cause for bad behavior in kids... not the additives, not the refined white sugar...

[boris]

A recent study announced that the gene that codes for ADD and ADHD had been located.

The gene. As in "heredity". Not as in "food additives."

--Boris

[larrysav]

Casein and gluten

It worked for us.

Refined sugars and fermented products contribute to leaky gut and exacerbate yeast infections in the gut.

Sugar weakens the immune system and ear infections result in an antibiotic treatment. The antibiotic destroys all the probiotic organisms in the gut and leaky gut is reinforced.

Stop the cycle by eliminating all refined sugars and fermented products first. Add acidophilus and other probiotics. Feed only whole grains, water, fruit, meat, vegetables and nuts. Whole food only.

It worked for us. If you think it sucks, don't do it.

After seeing my son have bloody stools, painful gas and tantrums, this diet, and many other dietary interventions, helped him live a normal boyhood.

[Buffalo Bob]

Their key concern was that parental observation could not provide a reliable measurement of children's behaviour.

New Butt Order® (NBO) news-speak if there ever was.