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Food Additives Linked To Hyperactivity In Children, Study Shows
ScienceDaily (Sep. 9, 2007) — A study by researchers at the University of Southampton has shown evidence of increased levels of hyperactivity in young children consuming mixtures of some artificial food colours and the preservative sodium benzoate.
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* Children's Health
* Attention Deficit Disorder
* Nutrition
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* Child Psychology
* Child Development
* ADD and ADHD
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* Hyperactivity
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* Gluten-free, casein-free diet
The possibility of food colours and preservatives affecting children's behaviour has long been an unresolved question for parents. This significant new research by a team from the University of Southampton's Schools of Psychology and Medicine provides a clear demonstration that changes in behaviour can be detected in three-year-old and eight-year-old children.
The research, which was funded by a £0.75m grant from the Food Standards Agency and is published in The Lancet online today (6 September), involved studying levels of hyperactivity in 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight-year-olds living in the city of Southampton. The children were selected from the general population to represent the full range of behaviour, from normal through to hyperactive, and not for any previous behavioural problems or known sensitivities to particular foods.
The children's families were asked to put them on a diet free from the additives used in the study. Over a six-week period the children were then given a drink each day which either contained one of two mixtures of food colours and benzoate preservative, or just fruit juice - with all the drinks looking and tasting identical.
Hyperactivity is a behaviour indicated by increased movement, impulsivity and inattention. The results of the Southampton study show that when the children were given the drinks containing the test mixtures, in some cases their behaviour was significantly more hyperactive. These results replicate and extend previous FSA-funded research by the team in Southampton.
The research team used a combination of reports on the children's behaviour from teachers and parents, together with recordings of the children's behaviour in the classroom made by an observer, and, for the older children, a computer-based test of attention. None of the participants - teachers, parents, the observer, or the children - knew which drink each child was taking at any one time.
Professor of Psychology, Jim Stevenson, who led the research, comments: 'We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children. There is some previous evidence that some children with behavioural disorders could benefit from the removal of certain food colours from their diet. We have now shown that for a large group of children in the general population, consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and benzoate preservative can influence their hyperactive behaviour.
'However parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent all hyperactive disorders. We know that many other influences are at work but this at least is one a child can avoid.'
The Food Standards Agency is an independent Government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food.
The FSA provides advice and information to the public and Government on food safety from farm to fork, nutrition and diet. It also protects consumers through effective food enforcement and monitoring.
The study 'Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3 and 8/9 year old children in the community': Donna McCann*, Angelina Barrett* , Alison Cooper *, Debbie Crumpler*, Lindy Dalen* , Kate Grimshaw**, Elizabeth Kitchin*, Kris Lok*, Lucy Porteous* , Emily Prince* , Edmund Sonuga-Barke*, John O. Warner***, and Jim Stevenson*
*School of Psychology and ** School of Medicine, Department of Child Health at the University of Southampton, *** now at Department of Paediatrics, Imperial College, London, is published online by The Lancet on Thursday 6 September and will shortly be published in the printed edition.
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I think the article conteins some bias.For example, in the introduction it shows a lot of information about a research of hyperactivity in young children who consume mixtures of some artificial food colours and the preservative sodium benzoate.However the article gives also a diferent point of view with a comment of Professor of Psychology, Jim Stevenson,who said that "We know that many other influences are at work but this (food additives) at least is one a child can avoid." And also, after the introduction, there is a neutral position: "The possibility of food colours and preservatives affecting children's behaviour has long been an unresolved question for parents". Denize Luque
ReplyDeleteWell. The searches prove that many tips of food colors and preservatives affecting children's behavior.
ReplyDeleteWhen they were doing their experiments with child around 3-8 years old they saw how change the children's behavior for example some guys that drink only fruit juice they were very calm , but in another hand the guys that drink juice with preservatives and another substances they show many signs of hyperactivity,
The searches recommend to the parent that not only the food colors and preservatives affect children´s behavior but also many other tips of food ,, and we most to search many information about what kind of food is good for our parents.
I think the bias is against of food additives. It explain that are very unhealthy because il might cause hyperactivity in children. As as result il is a big problem becasuse they can show attention Deficit Disorder; and il can afect their minds on their psychology and treir development. Importants reseachs shows that it is a big problem becasuse the children prefear eat tihs kind of food.
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Molina Cuadros.
I think that the blog is imbalance because it just said that the food additives make hyperactivity and never said that it should not makes hyperactiviy.
ReplyDeleteAll the studies prove that food additives make hyperactivity there is not one that said tha food additives is good for us or just said that there is not reason to worry about the food additives.
these are the reasons by which i think the blog is imbalance.
I found bias in Introduction because reading indicate that the consuming mixtures of some artifial food colours produce hyperactivity in young children,also article has opinions which indicate that when testing realized that no only the food colors produce hyperactivity in children if there also other substances but we must always keep in mind about colors and preservatives containing food packaging in some places the author is neutral with their ideas as it indicates that some children may be good but for other children who have different behaviors would be good to eliminate these food additives
ReplyDeleteTanisha Hermoza P.
After to read the article, i could find alot of parts that contained "bias", for example in the final part describe the importance of a study by some scientists these problem and, the negative effects that is consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and, benzoate preservative and how affect the development and the behavior of some children that consum these products, also that some government agencies get interested in this topic.
ReplyDeleteHANS M. VALENZUELA VELARDE
i think that the blog is imbalance 'cause they talk about positives things about hyperactivity related to food additives but in the other hand they talk about the bad things of that.
ReplyDeletealso this article is not balanced i mean the talk more about the negative things and a little bit about the positives things
for example they said"
The research, which was funded by a £0.75m grant from the Food Standards Agency and is published in The Lancet online today (6 September), involved studying levels of hyperactivity in 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight-year-olds living in the city of Southampton. The children were selected from the general population to represent the full range of behaviour, from normal through to hyperactive, and not for any previous behavioural problems or known sensitivities to particular foods"
well I agree with this blog becouse the food can change to the children , especialy in their behaviors , they can be more agresives and crazys one cause could be the food but can be others things that cause this effects to the children.
ReplyDeleteAldair Lozano Montesinos
The complete article shows bias against food Additives, it says that researches have made tests in kids and prove that consuming food additives everyday for a certain period of time produce hyperactivity.
ReplyDeleteHyperactivity is not only a problem for eating food aditives, there are lots of influences that couse this, but the one that this article shows can be handle by parents easily.
Oscar Salas Apaza
A team of the University of Southampton did an investigation about the hyperactivity and the causes of the preservatives in the behavior. they made proves in a lot of children to try to see how would be the behaviour of each one with out the consume of those productes that contain colorings and preservatives, but in this test,didn't get a result, so what was the objetive of that test?. probably the children down their movements or impulses...
ReplyDeleteRamiro...
according to the introduction and imbalance can say that there are bias, when someone consuming mixtures of some artificial food colours and the preservative sodium benzoate produces change in behavior more hyperactivity, I believe that children should not consume the food additive as they are growing.
ReplyDeletebut the author is a neutral party when he says that:However parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent all hyperactive disorders. We know that many other influences are at work but this at least is one a child can avoid.
i think that the first bias is on the title because this is a negative idea, well other bias is the introduction because the speaker only tell bias and the other part of the article is only about a kind of experiment
ReplyDeletecarlos santiago oviedo
I found the "bias" in the next paragraph :
ReplyDeleteProfessor of Psychology, Jim Stevenson, who led the research, comments: 'We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children. There is some previous evidence that some children with behavioural disorders could benefit from the removal of certain food colours from their diet. We have now shown that for a large group of children in the general population, consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and benzoate preservative can influence their hyperactive behaviour.
because the Proffesor tell us about the mixtures artificial food colours and how it affects in the children`s behaviour. He shows it whit research for example: doing research and test in children of three to eight years old, he says this kind of food is the reason in the children`s behaviour changes, and he makes comparisons between children eat mixtures food and children eat natural food.
in fact the additives in this kind of food is the reason in the hyperactivity in the children.
name: José Miguel Peña Mendizábal.
Well. The researchers prove that many tips of foods change and affect the children's behavior.
ReplyDeleteWhen they were doing their experiments ,they saw that some guys starting to be hyperactivity it’s because only they drink substances with colors and preservatives ,in another hand the guys that didn’t drink that substances weren’t hyperactivity that situation prove the theory of some types of foods.
Now, we have the job to search information about what kind of food is not dangerous or harmful for us and our parents.