THURSDAY. Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Some common food colorings and preservatives appear to increase the assay of hyperactive behavior among children. British researchers inform.
The link between food additives and hyperactivity has desire been suspected but this is the first study to show a enjoin connection.
The findings have already caused the British government's Food Standards Agency which funded the chew over to issue a warning to parents about food additives.
"Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an increasingly common problem and theories abound to be for that," said Dr. David Katz director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine. "Among them is the notion that food additives bring forth hyperactivity."
Despite this apparent connection. Katz cautioned that the increasing be of children with ADHD cannot be blamed on food additives alone.
"No one factor is solely responsible for rising rates of ADHD," Katz said. "Along with the hazards of a highly processed food give children are getting less and less physical activity as a means of dissipating their native rambunctiousness."
In the chew over. Jim Stevenson a professor of psychology at the University of Southampton and his colleagues gave drinks containing additives to 297 children. The children were in two groups: 3-year-olds and 8- and 9-year-olds. The drinks contained artificial food coloring and additives such as sodium benzoate a preservative.
These concoctions were similar to the drinks that are commercially available. The be of additives were also similar to what is found in one or two servings of dulcify a day according to the report.
As a control some children were given drinks without additives according to the report in the Sept. 6 issue of
Over the six weeks of the trial. Stevenson's team open that children in both age groups who drank the drinks containing additives displayed significantly more hyperactive behavior. These children also had shorter attention spans. However which specific additives caused specific behavioral problems is not known the researchers said.
One of the additives sodium benzoate has been linked to cell alter in a previous study and to an increased for cancer. Sodium benzoate is found in Coca-Cola. Pepsi Max and fast Pepsi and in many fruit drinks.
Other additives assessed in the study include a be of colorings -- sunset color (E110) found in fruity drinks; carmoisine (E122) a red coloring often added to jams; ponceau 4R (E124) a red food coloring; tartrazine (E102) found in lollipops and carbonated drinks; quinoline color (E104) a food coloring; and allura red AC (E129) and orange-red food dye.
"Although the use of artificial coloring in food manufacture might be to be superfluous the same cannot be said for sodium benzoate which has an important preservative function. The implications of these results for the regulation of food additive use could be substantial," the researchers conclude.
Based on these findings the British government's Food Standards Agency cautioned parents to be on the lookout for hyperactive behavior linked to food additives.
"Parents of children showing signs of hyperactivity are being advised that cutting out certain artificial food colors from their diets might have some beneficial effects on their behavior," the agency said on its Web site.
"However we be to remember that there are many factors associated with hyperactive behavior in children. These are thought to consider genetic factors being born prematurely or environment and upbringing," Dr. Andrew Wadge chief scientist at the Food Standards Agency said in a statement.
Insights about the causes of ADHD should back up parents implement preventive strategies which are urgently needed. Katz noted. "A healthful unadulterated diet and regular physical activity be desire a good displace to go away," he added.
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