Avoiding Certain Foods May Cut Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Kids

Feb. 3, 2011 — Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should be offered a special ADHD diet to see if eliminating certain foods might reduce their symptoms, Dutch researchers say.

The diet studied, known as the restricted elimination diet (RED), can work, the researchers say, because they believe ADHD symptoms in some children might be affected by eating specific foods.

”I am of the opinion that every child deserves this diagnostic intervention,” researcher Lidy Pelsser, PhD, of the ADHD Research Centre in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, tells WebMD.

In the study, published in The Lancet, 78% of children who stuck with the diet did respond by having fewer symptoms.

In five weeks of trying the diet, Pelsser says, parents will know if their child is responding or not; if not, they can move on to other treatments.

U.S. experts had some caveats, saying that the results of the study, which included 100 children, should be repeated in other populations to see if the findings hold up.

About ADHD

ADHD affects about 3% to 7% of U.S. school-aged children, according to the American Psychiatric Association, but other sources put the figures higher.

The disorder is marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Some children with ADHD also have oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), in which they express hostility and rebelliousness toward authority figures.

Experts aren’t sure of the cause of ADHD, but theorize that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. Specific foods or ingredients are thought by some to be linked to the symptoms. Besides dietary restriction, medication and behavior therapy are used to treat children with ADHD. in RED, foods that are thought to trigger symptoms are eliminated; the foods are reintroduced if they do not trigger symptoms.

Positive Response to ADHD Diet

Pelsser and colleagues assigned 100 children diagnosed with ADHD, ages 4 to 8, either to five weeks of the ADHD diet or to five weeks of following a healthy diet, with instructions on how to do so.

The ADHD diet was individualized for each child, eliminating foods that might cause problems. The diet was restricted to certain foods including rice, meat, vegetables, pears, and water, along with other foods such as potatoes, fruits, and wheat.

In the ADHD diet group, 41 of 50 children finished the first phase. in that group of 41 children, 32, or 78%, responded favorably by having fewer symptoms. Overall, 32 of 50, or 64%, responded favorably.

”Not only ADHD, but also ODD symptoms, characterized by stubbornness, temper tantrums, and provocative behavior, which were present in 50% of the children, decreased significantly,” Pelsser tells WebMD.

When the offending foods were reintroduced, symptoms returned in those who had responded favorably, the researcher says.

While previous studies have found a link between foods and ADHD symptoms, the researchers say the studies were typically small or only included children known to have a tendency to allergies; their study is more applicable to the population as a whole.

Middle-class children are twice as likely to have peanut allergy as those from poorer families, a study has found.

Researchers believe GPs may see more children with allergies from better-off families, although poorer children may be protected in some way from developing them.

Some experts also think that an excessively clean lifestyle linked to rising levels of affluence is driving the rise in allergies and asthma because it fails to wake up the immune system.

Health hazard: Around 25,000 people in England have an allergy to peanuts – and the figure is rising

Previous generations were exposed to more dirt and bugs which helped their immune systems develop resistance.

In the past 20 years the number of British children with peanut allergy is believed to have doubled, but the latest study by Scottish and Dutch researchers gives the most accurate estimates yet.

It shows that around 25,000 people in England are affected, with males aged up to 20 most at risk.

Peanut allergy commonly causes breathing problems, but occasionally results in fatal anaphylactic shock.

Researchers at Edinburgh and Maastricht universities studied records from more than 400 GP practices in England between 2001 and 2005 to determine the number of patients with an allergy diagnosis.

Health snack: but some children can have severe reactions if they are allergic to peanuts (File photo)

The rate per 1,000 patients was 0.70 in the most affluent group, compared with 0.36 in the poorest, says a report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Dr Colin Simpson, co-author of the Department of Health-funded study, said children from more affluent families were most likely to be taken to the doctor for symptoms.

‘but these figures show they have a true allergy, these are not “worried well” children,’ he said.

‘It could be that children from less well-off families may actually be less likely to have peanut allergy.’

Until recently parents were told to avoid exposing their children to peanuts until they were three to reduce allergy, but this official advice – which has been withdrawn – was blamed by some experts for the rise of ‘nut hysteria’.

Indeed, some doctors believe exposure to peanuts early in life could save children from developing an allergy by priming their immune system.

Lynne Regent, chief executive of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, the national charity that supports those with severe allergies, said: ‘In our experience, people from affluent backgrounds are most likely to go to their GP with an allergy problem.

‘if this is so, it’s vital that crucial messages reach a much wider audience. Peanut allergy can be life-threatening, but it can be well managed so long as people affected are properly diagnosed and given instruction in how to avoid foods that will harm them.’