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 Vol. 19 No. 2, February 2008
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AAP Grand Rounds 19:17 (2008)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics

DEVELOPMENTAL/BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS

ADHD and Food Additives Revisited

Source: McCann D, Barrett A, Cooper A, 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):1560–1567; doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61306-3[CrossRef][Medline]

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.


PICO

Question: Does intake of food coloring and food preservatives affect hyperactive behavior of three-year-olds and eight- to nine-year-olds as rated by parents, teachers, and independent observers?

Question Type: Harm

Study Design: Within-subject crossover placebo-controlled intervention

 

Researchers from Southampton, UK, conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of food additives on behavior in children.

Drinks containing either artificial food coloring and preservative (sodium benzoate) or placebo were given to groups of three-year-olds and eight- and nine-year-olds after six weeks of a benzoate-free and specific food coloring–free diet. Two mixes were created, one similar to that used in a previous study by this same group of researchers,1 and another approximating the average daily consumption of food additives in UK children of these age groups. Using a within-subject crossover design, investigators . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Alison Schonwald, MD, FAAP
Developmental Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA