Is there a Cause and Effect Relationship Between Artificial Food Dyes and ADHD?

It seems as if there has been a lot of discussion lately as to whether or not artificial food dyes affect the symptoms of ADHD. This is not the first time that this topic has been discussed. Feingold (1975) proposed the possibility that there were environmental causes of hyperactivity, such as allergies to food additives, i.e., artificial flavors, preservatives and colors in a child’s diet.  However, definitive research has not been found to substantiate Feingold’s claim.

Recently, there has been renewed discussion, however, as to whether or not there is a cause and effect relationship between artificial food dyes and ADHD.  Dr. Ruth Hughes wrote an article about this topic in the June issue of Attention, which is the magazine that is published by Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). She based her comments on a research study that was reported in the Lancet in 2007. As soon as the article that was written in Chadd’s Attention magazine is available, I will copy and paste the link into my blog. Until then, here is a summary of the facts of the article:

“The Food Advisory Committee concluded that the research is inadequate to conclude that food dyes have an adverse effect on children’s behavior.

A small number of kids who appear to be hypersensitive to foods and who are diagnosed with ADHD may respond well to a diet eliminating food dyes or other irritating foods.

If your child’s behavior or inattention gets worse after eating foods with artificial food dyes, then consider avoiding them. This will probably not make the symptoms of ADHD disappear, but it may reduce the severity.

A healthy diet is important for all children, but especially for children with ADHD.

If there does not seem to be an effect from eliminating foods with dyes and/or if avoiding food dyes is too expensive, too difficult, or creates too much tension in your relationship worth your child, then this may not be a change that is important in your child’s overall treatment.

About eighty per cent of all ADHD appears to be related to genetics. It is inherited. Other things in the environment may make the symptoms worse (no treatment, family stress, poor diet) and other factors may help to reduce the symptoms (good parenting, multimodal treatment, healthy diet). Our job as parents is to provide the best treatment and most supportive environment that we reasonably can” (Hughes, R. (2011). Artificial dyes and ADHD, Attention, p. 14).

Therefore, the results of the research that has been completed up until now is not definitive. Additionally, the results of the research are mixed and it is difficult to determine if there are effects of artificial food dyes on the symptoms of ADHD. The results “…suggest that there may be a low-level effect on behavior of children in general” (Hughes, 2011, p. 12). However, Hughes makes it clear that the severity of the symptoms of the distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsivity that are typically associated with ADHD are much more severe than what was found in the studies, thus far.