Pediatricians challenge results claimed by Dutch ADHD diet study

Is it possible that the foods kids eat might be triggering for ADHD? A correlation among diet and ADHD was suggested by a newly released study. But the study’s conclusions are being disputed by pediatricians who do not agree that diet ought to be included in the treatment of ADHD. Source for this article – Pediatricians dispute results claimed by Dutch ADHD diet study by Newsytype.com.

ADHD diet study outcomes

The Lancet released a research on Thurs that stated ADHD can be treated with an elimination diet. Dutch researchers decided that a diet eliminating foods commonly associated with food allergies decreased ADHD conditions in 64 percent of the children in the research. The ADHD eating habits, based on rice, white meat and veggies, was administered to forty one children for five weeks. It was shown that 32 of them had clear ADHD symptom improvement. In the second phase of the study, the kids were fed what are assumed to be ADHD trigger foods and most of them relapsed. There wasn't any reduction in hyperactivity in the control group of kids that had a standard healthy diet.

Hearing what Pediatricians have to say about it

The ADHD eating habits study showed that an elimination eating habits may be very beneficial. It could possibly be used when treating children that have ADHD quite bad. However, most pediatricians aren’t confident the benefits of an elimination eating habits are worth the effort. An ADHD diet could also make children subject to nutritional deficiencies. Pediatricians think that the improvements demonstrated were likely allergy related as kids with allergies show ADHD behavior often. Other pediatricians questioned the methodology of the ADHD research, which had no independent observers.

The ADHD-allergy link

Several believe that ADHD could be triggered by processed foods with lots of sugar. There isn't any proof for that though, the National Institute of Mental Health explained. Many think that food allergies might have a brain chemistry response rather than physical effects like asthma, skin rashes and diarrhea that other kids get. However, because the Dutch research only lasted five weeks, it could not definitively answer those questions or specify which foods should be avoided. ADHD doesn't really have a "standard" cure for kids. Each child is looked at differently.

Citations

CNN

pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/03/does-adhd-come-from-foods/?npt=NP1

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/Health/Allergies/adhd-food-allergy-case-restricting-diet/story?id=12832958&page=3

Business Week

businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/649603.html