Food additives and hyperactivity

Is food affecting your child’s behavior?

It has long been suspected that there may be a link between food colorings and preservatives and hyperactivity  – and UK research has now confirmed it. Kids with no previous symptoms of hyperactivity who took part in the study had difficulty concentrating and grew increasingly boisterous after being given a drink containing a mixture of additives.

The results suggest that eating or drinking certain artificial food colorings together with the preservative sodium benzoate could have a negative effect on children’s behavior. This combination of substances is likely to be found in the treats kids love most: soda, potato chips, ice cream and candy.

While individual food additives have to pass stringent safety standards, the ‘cocktail effect’ of kids eating so many additives each day is unknown

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a warning to British parents about the risks of food additives: “This study is a helpful additional contribution to our knowledge of the possible effects of artificial food colors on children’s behavior,” said its chief scientist, Dr Andrew Wadge. “If parents are concerned about any additives they should remember that, by law, food additives must be listed on the label so they can make the choice to avoid the product if they want to.”

However, Dr Wadge did urge parents to remember that there are many factors associated with hyperactive behavior in children, including genetics, premature birth, environment and upbringing. He’s echoed by US experts, who reckon that hyperactivity can’t be blamed on food alone and point out that kids are naturally boisterous and aren’t getting as many opportunities to burn off their energy as they should. Scientists have also drawn attention to the fact that sodium benzoate is widely used to extend the shelf life of food, and that other preservatives help prevent bacterial contamination that could cause illness and replace vital nutrients that are lost in processing.

Best policy for parents? Be aware that cutting certain food items out of your child’s diet may have a beneficial effect on his behavior if he shows signs of hyperactivity – but try not to overanalyze every bite of food your kids eat. Instead concentrate on the core issue, which is getting them to eat a healthy, varied diet, and see the study results as one more reason to wean your child off the junk and convenience foods that most often contain food additives.

Follow these tips…

• Check labels and if packaging claims that a food item contains no artificial flavors don’t just stop there – check for artificial colourings before you toss it in the shopping cart.
• Avoid certain additives Those thought most likely to aggravate hyperactivity include FD&C Yellow 6 (in some juice drinks, candy and potato chips); benzoic acid (in some baked goods, cheese, gum and ice cream) and butylated hydroxyanisole (in some margarines, nuts, baked goods, cereals and snack foods).
• Bypass ready-made convenience food and prepare meal using fresh ingredients.
• Opt for quality For instance, choose 85% meat sausages instead of 60% to minimise the amount of fillers, binders, salt and preservatives.
• Offer healthy snacks such as fruit and veg, in kid-friendly bite-size portions. Prepare them in batches and keep snack-bags ready and waiting on the refrigerator where your child can reach them.
• Drink 100% pure fruit juice Some ‘juices’ marketed at kids contain no more than 10% juice. Avoid soda.
• Limit potato chips Instead, offer unsalted popcorn, rice cakes, salt-free pretzels and wholegrain crackers.

 

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