Cutting out some suspect foods could help calm ADHD children Wrtiiten By Jenny Hope
Children with ADHD should be tried on special diets to trace foods that may trigger disruptive behaviour, doctors claim.
They say diet should come before drugs, such as Ritalin, that are often prescribed to calm hyperactivity at school.
Research shows restricting the range of foods given to children with ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – can lead to significantly better behaviour.
Natural solution: Changing a child's diet could calm ADHD, says new research
Suspect foods are taken out and then re-introduced into the diet to detect which are causing problems, a report by Dutch researchers in The Lancet medical journal says.
In a study of 100 children aged four to eight with ADHD, half were given an ‘elimination’ diet where they were only allowed a few foods such as rice, meat, vegetables, pears and water.
Over time they were allowed different foods including wheat, eggs, peanuts, milk, soy and fish.
Preferable: Diet should be used before medication such as Ritalin
The remainder were given a healthy diet. The study found ‘significant improvements’ in children on a restricted diet.
Professor Jan Buitelaar, one of the lead researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, said: ‘We think dietary intervention should be considered in all children with ADHD.’
But he said the diets should be tried only with medical supervision and for no longer than five weeks at a time.
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Children with ADHD should be tried on special diets to trace foods that may trigger disruptive behaviour, doctors claim.
They say diet should come before drugs, such as Ritalin, that are often prescribed to calm hyperactivity at school.
Research shows restricting the range of foods given to children with ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – can lead to significantly better behaviour.
Natural solution: Changing a child's diet could calm ADHD, says new research
Suspect foods are taken out and then re-introduced into the diet to detect which are causing problems, a report by Dutch researchers in The Lancet medical journal says.
In a study of 100 children aged four to eight with ADHD, half were given an ‘elimination’ diet where they were only allowed a few foods such as rice, meat, vegetables, pears and water.
Over time they were allowed different foods including wheat, eggs, peanuts, milk, soy and fish.
Preferable: Diet should be used before medication such as Ritalin
The remainder were given a healthy diet. The study found ‘significant improvements’ in children on a restricted diet.
Professor Jan Buitelaar, one of the lead researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, said: ‘We think dietary intervention should be considered in all children with ADHD.’
But he said the diets should be tried only with medical supervision and for no longer than five weeks at a time.
TAKEN DMA1L WITH THANKS
