Food Additives Can Increase Hyperactive Behavior in Children

Many parents will tell you that this is not news, however when the New York Times reports this based on research published in the British medical journal The Lancet, we are all glad to have some evidence so everyone can choose to buy food that doesn't have food additives and colorings.

The study showed that "some artificial additives increase hyperactivity and decrease attention span in a wide range of children, not just those for whom overactivity has been diagnosed as a learning problem", according to the article.

The article reports that the Food Standards Agency advised parents to monitor their children’s activity and, if they noted a marked change with food containing additives, to adjust their diets accordingly, eliminating artificial colors and preservatives.

And with all of the many products now available in that don't have artificial coloring and ingredients, parents have many choices. ( And the foods still taste good.)

On a personal note, my son was allergic to Yellow Dye #5 which was in everything from vitamins to toothpaste but I was able to look for it and eliminate it and his rashes cleared right up. (When I researched the dye it turns out that many people are also allergic to that dye.)