An article on our Straits Times here titled “Food Additives ‘Cause Hyperactivity’ In Kids” caught my attention. The original article first appeared on the New York Times. After reading it, I just feel that I have to voice my thoughts here.
Firstly what the newspaper said was that a study was recently made by the researchers from Southampton University that found that artificial colurants and sodium benzoate can cause hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder in children.
The addictives used in the study included a combination of
Sunset yellow - Coloring found in squash
Carmoisine - Red colouring in jellies
Tartarazine - New coloring in lollies and fizzy drinks
Ponceau 4R - Red coloring
Sodium benzoate - A preservative found in ice cream and confectionary
Quinoline yellow - Yello coloring
Allura red - Orange/red dye
The study was a small trial, no doubt but it proved that children were about 10% closer to the definition of being hyperactive when they took foods containing preservatives. These children also had shorter attention spans.
While food additives can cause hyperactivity, it may be that neccessarily be the case since other factors can also be at play. In response to the study, the Food Standards Agency advised parents to be observamt and to adjust their children’s diet if they notice marked behavioral change from taking preservatives.
So far so good. The results of the study were hardly surprising to me. I was nodding my head that the Food Standards Agency gave a good recommendation, short of telling parents to remove these foods from their children’s diet forever. Hence, instead of getting angry with your child for not paying attention in class, perhaps it would be wise for parents to first look into the diet their child is on.
But what irked me was the next comment that I read….it went like this…
“Even if there is increase in hyperactivity, is it clinically significant and does it impact a child’s life?” asked Dr Thomas Spencer from Massachusetts Hospital.
My disagreement comes from my view that even small amounts of preservatives taken over long periods of time can eventually cause problems. This being the case, it can affect a child’s life as he or she grows. Most other diseases also develop in the same manner. They don’t just happen overnight.
Having attention deficit can have vast impact on a child’s learning and development. I prefer to be conservative - each mouthful of food containing preservatives can potentially tip your child over into having difficulties concentrating, so why take the chance?
