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Default Semi-OT: Does junk food...

....cause ADHD?

https://omaha.com/living-with-childr...7fb2a35cc.html

(guess who wrote the following)

A headache does not mean one has a brain tumor, but some brain tumors do cause headaches.

Likewise, ADHD behaviors do not mean one has a food allergy, albeit some food allergies cause, in some children, behaviors that are on the official list of ADHD symptoms. (Mind you, I believe ADHD is one of many bogus psychological diagnoses, but that is a subject for another column.)

I take requests, the latest of which comes from a parent who wants me to encourage everyone with a child who is impulsive, lacks concentration skills, and exhibits other ADHD symptoms to see an allergist, preferably one who specializes in allergies to foodstuffs of various sorts. I also turn down certain requests, as I will do with this one.

Several months ago, someone pointed out to me that no credible, peer-reviewed study has ever confirmed the ADHD-food allergy connection. Well, thats not exactly true. Research reports averages. Research does not report on individual cases. So, for example, if 1,000 children are included in a study that purports to determine whether or not food allergies cause ADHD behavior and 10 children (1%) are reactive but 990 are not, the studys authors report that their research failed to find a connection. Not so. It found a connection in one out of 100 cases. What is reported and what actually happened are two different things.

Are some children allergic to certain foods? Yes. Do certain food allergies manifest behaviorally? I believe so, but dont expect to find a peer-reviewed study that confirms that. If you do, it will be an anomaly. Nonetheless, over the course of my career, Ive heard hundreds of reports from parents who credibly claim that when they eliminated junk from their childrens diets, ADHD behaviors disappeared or abated considerably.

It is a parents responsibility to feed a child responsibly. That includes eliminating or minimizing refined carbohydrates, cane sugar, caffeine and processed foods. The latter tend to contain artificial flavorings, preservatives, taste enhancers (e.g., MSG) and colorings. Thats simple common sense.

If your child exhibits ADHD behaviors, and you suspect certain foodstuffs are a culprit, be your childs personal allergist. Eliminate the above junk from his or her diet for two weeks and see what happens. If you see improvement, keep going.

I need to point out, however, that eliminating certain foodstuffs from a childs diet can have a placebo effect. In other words, if your child thinks that his behavior €“ which he has seen causes much angst among adults, including you €“ is going to improve if he eats nothing but fresh veggies and grass-fed, free-range, vaccine-free animals, his behavior may well improve even though he is not medically reactive to any of the aforementioned junk. In that case both you and he will think he is allergic to the typical junk found in lots of foods and your family will eat better and everyone will be happy, which is just fine and dandy.


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Default Semi-OT: Does junk food...

On 1/29/2021 11:26 PM, Lenona wrote:
> ...cause ADHD?
>
> https://omaha.com/living-with-childr...7fb2a35cc.html
>
> (guess who wrote the following)
>
> A headache does not mean one has a brain tumor, but some brain tumors do cause headaches.
>
> Likewise, ADHD behaviors do not mean one has a food allergy, albeit some food allergies cause, in some children, behaviors that are on the official list of ADHD symptoms. (Mind you, I believe ADHD is one of many bogus psychological diagnoses, but that is a subject for another column.)
>
> I take requests, the latest of which comes from a parent who wants me to encourage everyone with a child who is impulsive, lacks concentration skills, and exhibits other ADHD symptoms to see an allergist, preferably one who specializes in allergies to foodstuffs of various sorts. I also turn down certain requests, as I will do with this one.
>


Only know my own experience. My son was ADHD when he was younger. We
tried the Feingold diet that eliminated artificial color and
preservatives. Huge change in behavior.

On a trip to visit family once, I made the mistake of letting him have a
cherry water ice with red coloring. It was like a nuclear reactor went
off for the next few hours.

With a sample size of 1 it is difficult to draw conclusions but it made
a difference. Does it cause ADHD? No idea but it brings a reaction at
least in some kids.
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Default Semi-OT: Does junk food...

On Fri, 29 Jan 2021 23:44:43 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

>Only know my own experience. My son was ADHD when he was younger. We
>tried the Feingold diet that eliminated artificial color and
>preservatives. Huge change in behavior.
>
>On a trip to visit family once, I made the mistake of letting him have a
>cherry water ice with red coloring. It was like a nuclear reactor went
>off for the next few hours.
>
>With a sample size of 1 it is difficult to draw conclusions but it made
>a difference. Does it cause ADHD? No idea but it brings a reaction at
>least in some kids.


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