The kiddie party is about to end while a group of parents sit around and watch their children spiral out of control. They’re jumping around, the tantrums are escalating and no child seems to be listening.

“Sugar always makes my kids hyperactive,” one mom says. “This is why we never give my son sugar before bed,” another chimes in.

But parents don’t always realize that it’s not sugar that causes hyperactivity in kids but something else lurking in the food their kids eat. Yes, it could also be that they are just overtired and over-stimulated but there could be more to the story.

The safety and behavior effects of certain food additives have been questioned in recent years. Let’s investigate what this means for the health and well being of your family.

Sugar myth dies hard
Science hasn’t shown a connection between sugar intake and hyperactivity, yet this myth continues to live on in many households. This doesn’t mean that excess sugar is beneficial, it just hasn’t been found to be related to behavioral issues in kids.

Take a research study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology in 1994. Thirty-five 5 to 7 year olds labeled by their mothers as “sugar-sensitive” were separated into two groups. While both sets of children were given the exact same sugar-free drink, one group was told their kids got a large dose of sugar and the other was told the truth.

The mothers who were told their children were given sugar rated their children as significantly more hyperactive. This study highlights how just having the expectation that sugar causes adverse behavior makes it seem like a reality.

While sugar is not implicated in hyperactivity, there are other ingredients in sugar-containing foods that could be the culprit.

The world of artificial colors
One reason sugar has been implicated in behavior issues with kids may be that sugar-containing foods including juice drinks, candy, colored breakfast cereals, certain snacks and baked goods often contain artificial food colors or dyes.

According to a 2008 study published in Nutrition Reviews, research points to a relationship between hyperactivity and artificial food colorings in a small subset of hyperactive children. These children are considered intolerant to such additives.

But two recent UK studies found increased signs of hyperactivity in otherwise healthy children ingesting artificial colors and the preservative benzoate. The results of these studies led the British government to recommend removing food dyes in the food and restaurant industries. The European Parliament passed a law that foods that contain such ingredients carry the following warning label: “may have adverse affect on activity and attention in children.”

The Plot Thickens
On June 29th of this year, the Consumer for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) wrote a letter urging the FDA to ban all food dyes. They lay out their argument for such a ban in a report titled “Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks.”

In the report, CSPI discusses the research linking food dyes to hyperactivity but also discusses other health issues and safety concerns:

• Safety studies on food dyes examine single dyes instead of a mixture of colors which is how they are typically consumed.
• Some food dyes may contain very small levels of carcinogenic compounds. The FDA has established legal and safe limits for such contaminants but this was based on 1990 dye usage which has increased 50 percent since then.
• FDA does not take into account the effects dyes have on children who consume more dyes per body weight than adults.

The FDA definition of safe color additives is “…there is convincing evidence that establishes with reasonable certainty that no harm will result from the intended use of the color additive. ” CSPI disagrees with this statement and believes that because dyes offer little in the way of nutrition (for cosmetic purposes only) they should be banned.

The food industry responded to this report stating that food dyes have been extensively studied and are safe for consumption. But it’s the FDA that makes the rules and there is no word yet on whether there will be changes coming.

What’s a parent to do?
I don’t believe that food dyes are unsafe but I do not want them in the daily diet of my family. I hope that FDA revisits food dyes and their long term safety for both kids and adults. But until something changes, here are tips on reducing food dyes in your family’s diet:

• Check ingredient lines for artificial colors. Red 40 and Yellow 5 & 6 account for 90 percent of all dyes in food products.
• Choose foods that use real food components to add color to foods such as beet juice, tumeric and beta-carotene.
• If your child has behavior or attention issues, eliminate all artificial colors. For other children keep the intake of food dyes as occasional (birthday parties, Halloween etc.).
• If you believe your child is sensitive to food dyes file a report. 
• To learn more about additives in food see CSPI’s Chemical Cuisine.

So tell me, do you watch out for food dyes in the food you buy?

References
Hoover DW, et al. “Effects of sugar ingestion expectancies on mother-child interactions.” Journal of Abnormal Childhood Psychology. 1994: 22(4): 501–15.

Sinn N. Nutritional and dietary influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nutrition Reviews. 2008; 66(10):558-568.

McCann D, et al. “Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2007; 370(9598): 1560–67.

Jenny thought her rowdy preschooler was engaging in normal “boy” behavior. But when her son entered the first grade, she started noticing that he couldn’t sit still or focus like the other kids. He was also impulsive, often endangering himself by running off at the worst times. She finally took him to a doctor and found out he had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

One in ten children lives with ADHD. Children diagnosed with the condition are more likely to experience depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety. No one knows exactly what causes this leading disorder but experts believe that it has both genetic and environmental influences.

Two recent research reviews examined whether or not diet can help treat ADHD. While both reviews cite compelling research, each acknowledges that more studies are needed to draw conclusions. As I read both of these papers, one word kept popping up in my mind: prevention.

You see, children with ADHD often have low levels of iron, zinc, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids – the same nutrients needed for proper growth and development. Research also suggests that some children react to artificial colorings and additives in food.

So doesn’t it make sense that diets rich in these nutrients could help prevent ADHD? While the research isn’t able to answer that question, I think it’s worth considering. Let’s take a look…

Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA & EPA)
It’s hard to believe but sixty percent of the brain is composed of fat! Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an essential fatty acid found mostly in fish and fish oils, is required in high quantities in the brain and retina. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) also plays a role in the brain working synergistically with DHA.

According to a recent study published in Nutrition Reviews, omega-3 fatty acids hold the most promise for nutritionally treating ADHD and/or learning disabilities. In a recent UK study, children with developmental coordination disorder (5-12 years old) were supplemented with 552 mg of EPA and 168 mg of DHA for 3 months which resulted in improved behavior, increased reading age by 9 months (3 months in the control) and spelling age by almost 7 months (1 month in the control). Before the study these children were a year behind in both reading and spelling.

DHA and EPA are essential in little ones’ diets because their brains are still developing. Unless your child eats fish on a weekly basis, they are falling short on DHA and EPA. Unfortunately, there are no recommendations for DHA in the United States. International health groups, however, do provide recommendations for adults. According to the Omega-3 Institute, if you take these international recommendations and adjust them to the calorie intakes of young children, 2-3 year olds need 145 mg per day of DHA and 4-6 year olds need 200 mg.

So what’s a mom to do? Include fish meals 2-3 times a week including salmon, tuna, halibut, shrimp and trout. And if your little one won’t eat fish consider supplementing with fish oil (I’ll be reviewing some supplements soon). If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, aim for 300mg of DHA per day.

Minerals
Children with ADHD tend to have lower levels of iron, zinc and magnesium than kids without the disorder. In children under 3 years of age, one-third are anemic and 1 in 10 are iron-deficient. If left untreated, iron deficiency can result in poor cognitive development and can adversely affect behavior. Studies show that children with the lowest iron levels experience more severe ADHD symptoms.

To ensure adequate intake of iron, offer children meat and poultry often as well as iron fortified cereals combined with a vitamin C-rich fruit (to increase the absorption by four times!). Check this list for iron sources and add vitamin C-rich foods to plant-based sources of iron.

Zinc, the next mineral on the list, not only helps protect the immune system, it also plays a role in the developing brain. As zinc levels plummet, the symptoms of ADHD increase. One theory is that certain food additives accelerate the excretion of zinc from the body in susceptible individuals. Zinc can be found in meat, poultry, beans, fortified breakfast cereals, yogurt, almonds and cashews.

Magnesium, the last mineral associated with ADHD, is needed for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Low magnesium levels impact brain health in a variety of ways such as decreasing blood flow to the brain and lowering energy metabolism. Research suggests that up to 85% of children with ADHD may be deficient in magnesium. Check this list for magnesium sources including nuts, spinach, soy beans and black beans.

Food additives and artificial colorings
Although we’re mostly focusing on nutrition, the effect of artificial colorings and additives deserves attention. According to a 2009 review in the Harvard Medical Health Letter, a small segment of children are susceptible to artificial additives in processed foods.

In fact, the findings of a recent study in Britain resulted in the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency request for food manufactures to remove six coloring agents from children’s products.

To keep intake of such food additives low, go easy on candy, colored cereals, soda and fruit drinks.

The final word
Omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc and magnesium are essential nutrients for growing kids. And if they happen to prevent ADHD, then that’s a big bonus.

Subscribe to Raise Healthy Eaters for more health prevention tips.

References
June, 2009 Harvard Medical Health Letter

Sinn N. Nutritional and dietary influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nutrition Reviews. 2008; 66(10):558-568.

Richardson AJ, Montgomery P. The Oxford-Durham study: a randomized, controlled trial of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in children with developmental coordination disorder. Pediatrics. 2005;115(5):1360-1366.