Food Additives Increase Hyperactivity In Kids

[Mara]

Food Additives Increase Hyperactivity in Kids
Thu Jun 3, 3:33 PM ET

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Artificial food colorings and benzoate preservatives increase hyperactive behavior in preschool children, according to a new report.

Despite claims about the detrimental behavioral effects of artificial food colorings and preservatives, the authors explain in the June Archives of Disease in Childhood, there have been no broad studies of the prevalence of hyperactivity related to intolerance to food additives.

Dr. John O. Warner from Southampton General Hospital, UK, and colleagues studied the impact of artificial food colorings and benzoate preservative on the behavior of 277 preschool children. At the start, 36 children had hyperactivity and allergies, 75 were only hyperactive, 79 had only allergies, and 87 did not have either condition.

Parents' ratings of their children's hyperactivity fell after withdrawal of food additives from the children's diets, the team reports, and there was an increase in hyperactivity when food additives were re-introduced.

More here: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor..._children_dc_1