Study: Diet May Help ADHD Kids More Than Drugs

[Matariki]

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/12/134456594/study-diet-may-help-adhd-kids-more-than-drugs?ft=1&f=1001

Kids with ADHD can be restless and difficult to handle. Many of them are treated with drugs, but a new study says food may be the key. Published in The Lancet journal, the study suggests that with a very restrictive diet, kids with ADHD could experience a significant reduction in symptoms.

The study's lead author, Dr. Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands, writes in The Lancet that the disorder is triggered in many cases by external factors — and those can be treated through changes to one's environment.

"ADHD, it's just a couple of symptoms — it's not a disease," the Dutch researcher tells All Things Considered weekend host Guy Raz.

The way we think about — and treat — these behaviors is wrong, Pelsser says. "There is a paradigm shift needed. If a child is diagnosed ADHD, we should say, 'OK, we have got those symptoms, now let's start looking for a cause.' "

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[Warpy]

1. I'm not a bit surprised by this

but it's not going to work for all ADHD kids, I'm afraid.

I always tell parents two things if the school tells them their kid needs drugs for ADHD: first, get a real workup by a pediatric neurologist or psychologist who specializes in ADHD to make sure the kid has it; and second, try a diet without colorings, preservatives, and all the other junk that has been implicated in the past. That sort of diet won't hurt anybody and if it helps, hooray.

This diet is different, since it's a food allergy diet that takes a kid off all suspected foods and introduces them back one at a time to find out what might be the culprit. This one needs medical supervision. However, if the kid's symptoms can be controlled by eliminating oranges, milk, corn or any other food, it's great.

[upi402]

2. "now let's start looking for a cause. "

That's always been my question.

I think whole foods is a preventative... and I always have - but that's just an educated guess on my part. Good to have studies, good to see NPR doing this sort of thing instead of carrying water for the war machine.

[hedgehog]

3. There have been reports of some ADHD kids being cured by

having their tonsils and/or adenoids removed. It turned out that these particular kids were suffering from sleep apnea. Once their throats were cleared of swollen tissues, they breathed properly through the night and actually got some sleep.

Considering that a lot of ADHD behavior resembles what you see in an over-tired child and that the treatment of choice is a stimulant, a connection to sleep disorders sounds like a fruitful path to investigate.

It probably isn't the cause for all ADHD cases, but it might be for some.

[DURHAM D]

7. So true -

my niece had her tonsils and adenoids out (she had sleep apnea) a few months ago and she is a totally different person.

In her case it is a miracle cure. She is lucky in that her parents kept looking for answers other than drugs.

[Dappleganger]

4. Some kids are more sensitive to sugar and quick carbs than others.

I do know a family with two boys who grew up on a horrible diet high on sugars, fruit juices and quick carbs (junk food) and these boys were quickly labeled adhd and were completely out of control and just generally impossible to be around. When they were finally faced with either medication or removing them from school to homeschool, the parents decided to change the diet of the entire family to see what would happen. The removed all refined sugars and most fruit juices, refined flours, junk food, etc. Within a few months these were like completely different boys! I could not believe the change except that I saw it in person and was amazed.

[HuckleB]

5. This is another pilot study on ADHD and nutrition.

Unfortunately, that means we have nothing more than yet another study that may indicate that we should study diet on a larger scale. Of course, there may be other pilot studies that didn't find results like this, and that makes moving forward even more difficult.

Further, the overly confident statements by the researcher, after performing a small pilot study, are concerning.

Any way you look at it, the NPR story is absolutely horribly done.

[KittyWampus]

6. Studies also suggest refined sugar and dairy may possibly effect schizophrenia