ADD/ADHD: The Nutrition Connection

Ever since a few decades ago, researches have suspected that nutrition has a lot to do with ADD/ADHD. Now that this fact has been accepted, medical professionals, nutritionist as well as individuals diagnosed with ADD are still misinterpreting this connection.
The Studies
There have been more than a thousand studies carried to find the link between nutrition and most have been carried out by prestigious learning institutions and medical facilities. Findings of these studies have been published. Here are a few of them:
The remarkable role of nutrition in learning and behavior. Authored by Jennifer Dani, Courtney Burrill, and Barbara Demmig-Adams has found that:
“The result of this analysis is that nutrition has potent effects on brain function. It is concluded that protein, iron, iodine, and the consumption of breakfast all impact on a child’s learning capability and behaviour. Moreover, recent research has identified additional, potent roles of micronutrients, such as essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins, in the prevention of learning and behavioural disorders. Among the latter, this review focuses particularly on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.”
Mental Health: Not All in the Mind—Really a Matter of Cellular Biochemistry, by Chris D. Meletis and Jason Barker.
A study done by D.W. Schab. Schab and his colleagues have concluded that children’s behavior improved when AFC’s was no longer in their diet. This study entitled ‘Artificial Food Coloring Promotes Hyperactivity’ was published in The Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
Effects of a few food diet in attention deficit disorder, by C M Carter, M Urbanowicz, R Hemsley, L Mantilla, S Strobel, P J Graham, and E Taylor. Carter’s research discovered that “diet can contribute to behavior disorders in children” and that 76% of the children who participated in the study showed improvement after implementing an elimination diet.
More studies have further justified the huge role foods and additives play in forming attention deficit hyperactive disorder in children. M. Boris and F.S. Mandel, in their study found that “a beneficial effect of eliminating reactive foods and artificial colors in children with ADHD. Dietary factors may play a significant role in the etiology of the majority of children with ADHD.”
The Results
The few researches covered here are just a friction of all researches that have been conducted in the quest to prove the impact of nutritional factors on ADD/ADHD. These nutritional factors could be food additives, fatty acids, vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Subjects have participated in elimination diets; nutritional supplementation, behavioral observations and self-reporting in the course of these studies and most studies were also more focus towards young children as subjects. There are also a number of studies done on adolescence and adults.
Institutions that have contributed to this body of knowledge are Harvard University, Cornell University, Cornell Medical Center, Oxford University, etc. Therefore, the credibility are baked by their renowned reputation.
Common findings of these studies shows significant improvements in the behavior once food or food additive causing the sensitivity, allergy, or toxic reaction or nutritional deficiencies were removed from subject’s diet. Poor attention ability and concentration among subjects have also subside as they develop reading ability, motor coordination, and IQ which may be linked to the subject’s ability to focus and stay on task.
What does all these point to?
Findings of these studies point to the fact that the symptoms of ADD/ADHD can improved or even disappeared once dietary deficiencies were corrected. They also prove that non-medicinal interventions be used to treat ADD/ADHD even if the medical community required a whole lot more of prove in order to accept this and individuals who suffer from this disorder can be more alert and opt for life without medication.

Article Source: http://www.articleopus.com

Jimmy Brownen is a leading expert in the field of ADD/ADHD and has years of experience in the treatment of it. For more information on the disorder or for alternative means of curing ADHD, please visit his site.

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