Study says to make additive removal usual for hyperactive kids

Cutting out colors and preservatives from the diets of hyperactive children should be standard part of dealing with the disorder. Certain artificial colors and the preservative sodium benzoate have been under the spotlight in the last year since a study conducted at Southampton University and funded by the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) found an adverse link between certain cocktails of additives and behavior in children drawn from the general population.

In its initial advice following the study's publication in The Lancet, the FSA issued mildly worded advice to parents - that eliminating the suspect additives from the diet could have some benefits for hyperactive kids or those with ADHD.

Professor Andrew Kemp of the University of Sydney writes in the British Medical Journal that removing additives from the diet of children with ADHD, in a properly supervised trial, should not be considered an alternative treatment.

Steve - we wholeheartedly concur with Professor Kemp.