Usually, when a child is diagnosed with ADHD, treatment involves some form of medication. Every so often, there are suggestions that perhaps symptoms of ADHD could be reduced just by controlling what a child eats. A study has concluded that this could be a reality. However, there are many questions about the reliability of the study.
ADHD is something that, if untreated, can impact a child’s performance at school. This is because kids with ADHD tend to be easily distracted, and to have difficulty staying on task. Another symptom of ADHD is a tendency to be impulsive. In a school environment, these are the kinds of behaviors that will get a child noticed, in a negative way, by his or her teacher.
Treatment for ADHD typically includes the use of medication. There are a variety of pharmaceuticals that could be prescribed for this disorder. This is usually done in combination with some form of behavioral therapy. Some parents feel very uncomfortable with the idea of having their child take daily medication, and wish that there was something else that would work instead. I think this is why the idea that ADHD could be controlled by diet alone keeps surfacing every so often. Food just feels safer than drugs do.
A study was recently published in the Lancet, that implies that a strictly controlled diet could be the solution to quieting the symptoms of ADHD. The study looked at 100 children who had ADHD symptoms. The children were between the ages of 4 and 8 years old. The group was split into two groups.
One group was given a very restrictive diet, which they stayed on for five weeks. The diet included water, rice, turkey, lamb, lettuce, carrots, pears, and some other foods that were considered to be hypoallergenic. The other group of children, and their parents, were given counseling about eating healthy foods, but were allowed to eat whatever they selected for the five weeks.
The results of the study showed that 64% of the kids who were in the group that followed a restrictive diet showed a significant improvement in their ADHD symptoms. The group, as a whole, was considered to have moderate to severe symptoms before the diet. After the diet, the group, as a whole, had mild symptoms, or symptoms that were too mild to be considered as a sign of ADHD.
Now, before you get too excited, you need to be aware of some issues that have been mentioned in regards to this study. Assuming the study is reliable, it would be very difficult for most parents to constantly be making certain that their child consumes only foods from that short list. You would either have to make special meals just for that child, or would have to have your whole family go on this restricted diet as well. Neither one is an easy choice.
Others wonder if the all the kids in the study really had ADHD. In general, it is difficult to differentiate kids who have ADHD from those who don’t with very young children. Another issue involves consciousness. If your kid is on the restrictive diet, and you believe that the diet is going to make everything better, you will be looking for evidence that matches your hopes. Your observations will be biased.
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