Study Shows ADHD Symptoms Reduced By Avoiding Processed Food

A recent study of 100 children diagnosed with ADHD showed that 63 percent of them were negatively affected by eating processed foods. Specialists around the world are discovering that highly processed foods, additives, and gluten trigger an increase in ADHD symptoms in children. The five-week study, "Impact of Nutrition on Children with ADHD" (INCA)i was conducted in the Netherlands and Belgium by the Radboud University Medical School and the ADHD Research Center in the Netherlands. The children, ages 4 to 8 years old, were randomly divided into two groups: a restricted elimination diet (removing all foods linked to allergies and intolerances, such as wheat, eggs, and dairy); and a healthy diet (control group). Of those who ate a diet without processed foods, 78percent showed a significant reduction in ADHD symptoms - with a decrease in challenging or defiant behavior. After five weeks of controlled eating, children who responded with at least a 40 percent improvement proceeded into a four-week, double blind, crossover food challenge, during which they ate either high IgG or low IgG foods. Researchers tracked the participants' IgG levels before the study and at the end of each of the two phases. When processed foods were re-introduced into the children's diets, 63 percent of them saw a spike in ADHD symptom.