Mary+Paul+-+Log

Mary Paul

10/27/11 I would like to do my final project on the The Feingold Diet, how it works to treat hyperactivity in children, and how it compares to typical medications prescribed for ADHD.

11/11/11 __**Article Summary: Diet & Behavior in Children**__


 * Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common diagnosis of behavioral problems in US children.
 * Around 3-5% of US children exhibit the common symptoms of ADHD.


 * With a lack of treatment options available, medication has become the conventional solution.
 * Drug sales for common ADHD medications are 5 times higher today than they were in 1990.


 * The stimulant drugs used for ADHD treatment present worrisome side-effects to children such as weight loss, insomnia, and dependency.
 * The most commonly prescribed drug for ADHD treatment is Ritalin, which has posed some cancer-causing concerns.
 * Diet manipulation may contribute as a safer option for treating ADHD in children.

__How it Started__


 * Benjamin Feingold, a California allergist, introduced the idea that food can affect children’s behavior when he observed behavioral changes in his patients that were being treated for food allergies.
 * Feingold’s idea that certain food additives and salicylates have a behavioral effect on children has gained popularity since the 1970’s.


 * 23 studies have been performed to compare the effects of various diets on children's behavior.
 * The children involved in these studies were separated into control groups and experimental groups.
 * To eliminate biased expectations, no persons involved in any studies knew which children were getting what.


 * Some of the studies gave results that significantly supported Feingold’s idea that diet manipulation can improve children’s behavior.
 * Other studies gave minimal results that were insignificant, and a few showed no change.

__Unanswered Questions__


 * Questionable experimental parameters and varying results give no conclusion as to how many kids are actually affected by diet.
 * Even positive experimental results cannot determine that all children with behavioral problems such as ADHD will have the same results.


 * In the studies, different diets were used on children with varying behavioral or health problems, making it difficult to determine which children are affected by diet.
 * 9 out of the 23 studies involved only children with typical ADHD, 8 of which resulted in some positive results to diet manipulation.
 * The other 14 studies involved children with ADHD as well as other behavioral and neurological disorders; 10 of these studies resulted in some positive results to diet manipulation.


 * It’s difficult to determine how much of a difference diet manipulation can make, or even how permanent it can be.
 * Although it appears that diet manipulation is capable of producing behavioral changes in some children, it still doesn’t compare to the results and consistency of ADHD drugs.


 * __Works Cited__**

Schardt, David. "Diet & Behavior in Children." Nutrition Action Health Letter 27.2 (2000): 10. Print.

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