Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Article showing food link for 60% of ADHD kids

My youngest started projectile vomiting and crying in pain when she was just a few days old. After the medical scans came back negative for a blocked intestine, the doctor suggested it might be an allergy to milk and soy. Since I was breastfeeding that meant eliminating milk and soy (and as a result most processed foods) from my diet. It was a big adjustment but I am so grateful my doctor knew food could be the culprit. If a similar change can help kids with ADHD, I agree it is fantastic news!

As I stated in my post, the studies are promising. I am not proposing that they should be ignored. Given that I have a family with life threatening food allergies to very common foods (milk, nuts, soy, eggs among others), diabetes, and acid reflux, I understand the importance of eating well. But I also have been around schools long enough to know that many have a talent for using such information in counter productive and hurtful ways.

And again, exercise should be considered too.

For my son, who eats a restricted and healthy diet and gets a lot of outdoor time and exercise, medication is the only thing that makes an appreciable improvement.

A number of years ago, (maybe 10) a colleague of mine convinced a parent of a particularly troublesome student to change his diet to eliminate processed foods and the night shades to see if his behavior would improve. He took these steps after talking extensively to the parents and determining that even the mom noticed that when ever the child ate apples, or potatoes or things like that his behavior went down the tubes. My colleague had been researching the affects of processing foods and eating different things together for his own health and saw dramatic changes.
Having had this same child in my classes, I was absolutely amazed at the difference in the boy's behavior, memory and attitude after a week of a more healthy diet. He continued on the restricted diet for about 2 months and then decided to see if it really was the food and ate an apple one day. He was right back to his out of control self - he even noticed it and went immediately back onto the diet.
So, while I think this study definitely includes more people than I had previously heard of, the understanding that our food causes different reactions in different people is not really all that new.
It would be great if it got more attention paid to it, especially from the food manufacturers!

More discussion in the LA Times about the report:
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-diet-adhd-20110314,0,477984.story

This might be way off topic but I've always wanted to tell somebody who might care. Why on earth do they advertise medicine on tv? Shouldn't your doctor be the one telling you about them? Or google? It's medicine, not shoes; it should be what you need, not what's advertised on sale this week. <<Pouts and fumes.>>

Ok, on topic. I read on a blog that gifted children have high nutrition needs because thinking burns fuel. Like an athlete type needs more carbs, fats, and proteins a gifted brain needs more (healthy) calories (not empty ones) because they're burning fuel while focusing so much.

La Texican - I'm not sure how pharmaceutical companies came to advertise drugs. It is a relatively new thing. I suppose could be an effort to "provide" information. But I agree with you, it makes me a bit uneasy. On the other hand, the web has helped me in pushing for an accurate diagnosis for my DD and if I hadn't pushed, she would most likely still be on the steroids the doctor prescribed, rather than benefiting from a much less invasive treatment plan. So - sometimes it does help to educate the public so that they can advocate. I don't know, it is complex.

mich and la texican

Actually, it was part of a 96? 97? intensive lobbying effort by the pharmaceutical industry in response to generics. They wanted it to produce exactly what happened - patients walking into dr's office asking for name brand drugs and believing that the name brand is different/better than the generic. With some people and some meds there are issues of fillers being different but in reality most of this is about profit. With also set up a fascinating tension between insurers and pharma in fighting for protections from Congress.

Mich is right that it is very complicated because it is now much easier to learn about drugs. It definitely gives patients the ability to challenge dr's choices, which as we know now are very much influenced by pharma marketing to them. Studies show even a dr's acceptance of pens and paper, not just trips to the Bahama's influence the choice to prescribe. But fundamentally, the initial bill was about the loss of income when big moneymaking drugs come off patent protection.

DeHe

Has anyone read the full article? I hadn't initially realized just how restricted the diet was. Rice, white meat, vegetables and fruits. And that's it.

Unless I am misreading things, it seems to be more of a food allergy question than a kids are eating too much junk food question.

I'd love to know if you read this differently.

I haven't read the full article but the LA Times piece discusses the restrictiveness of the diet:

I couldn't find the full article for free, but I do think this isn't the usual 'sugar and food coloring sensitivities cause ADHD behaviors.'

What I got from reading between the lines was that they took all the kids off almost everything for 5 weeks and saw which ones responded. Then they kept playing around with adding foods back slowly for the responders and let the nonresponders go back to normal eating.

I just think the results are usually higher numbers for a project like this.

I'm trying to play devils advocate, and all I can think of is that maybe the super-strict limits that had to be enforced had a behavioral effect? Maybe the kids were shook up enough that they felt like they HAD to behave? I doubt it, what else could it be - besides food reactions?

Grinity