No link between ADHD and food colouring, but 'more science needed', says 'expert'
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
By Dr Alex Richardson
The opinion of the expert cited in headline of this news article stands in direct contradiction to the scientific evidence
See this subsequent article by a genuine expert in the field, explaining both the research findings in this area - and the politics.
There is now substantial evidence - of the highest possible standard - that some artificial food colourings (AFCs) can exacerbate difficulties with behaviour and concentration in children - WITH or WITHOUT 'ADHD'.
The kinds of difficulties that these additives can worsen - as shown in randomised controlled trials include (but are not confined to)
- inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity - i.e. 'core symptoms' in the formal diagnosis of ADHD.
- But all of these can also be found in milder form in children who do NOT meet criteria for ADHD
Importantly, the evidence showing Artificial Food Colourings have adverse affects on children's attention and behaviour includes many randomised, double-blind placebo controlled trials - the 'gold standard' design for assessing causal effects.
The key point is that the negative effects of artificial food colourings on behaviour have been well documented in
- BOTH children pre-selected for behavioural (ADHD-type) difficulties (Schab and Trinh 2004)
- AND children from general population samples (Bateman et al 2004, McCann et al 2007).
And the general population studies, commissioned by the UK's Food Standards Agency - were conducted to the highest and most rigorous scientific standards.
(So they were 'controversial' only insofar as their findings were obviously not welcome news to the processed food industry and its supporters, or others with vested interests).
More recently, another controlled trial found benefits for many ADHD children from excluding not only food colourings and other additives, but many common foods as well (Pelsser et al 2011).
This study would be considered rather weaker evidence, however, simply because like any trial involving real foods or diets, it could not be carried out under fully 'double-blinded' conditions (parents could not be prevented from knowing what they were feeding their children).
Obviously diet is absolutely NOT the 'cause' of 'ADHD' (which is a purely descriptive diagnosis, and has NO 'single cause')
But that does not mean that dietary changes can't help
'ADHD' is not a unitary condition, and as with almost diagnoses in psychiatry, there are no objective tests or biomarkers. Instead, an ADHD diagnosis is based on a collection of observed or reported behavioural 'symptoms' - with many different possible causes - which can differ between individuals.
Once again - this headline - claiming 'no link' between 'ADHD and food colourings' is simply NOT 'evidence-based'
For more information on the decades of evidence linking artificial food colourings to behavioural and other problems in many (but not all) individuals with 'ADHD-type difficulties' , please see the following lists of articles, which are regularly updated:
Food Navigator - 6th June 2011
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There is no known link between food colouring and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), however wider safety issues remain, says one expert.
A more comprehensive scientific answer to the effects of food colouring additives on children is needed, according to Dr Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, an associate professor of psychology and director of the University of Maryland ADHD Program.
She said that debate over whether artificial food colours contribute to childhood ADHD “has itself been coloured for decades by weak science and strong emotional beliefs.”
She added that as one of the scientists testifying before a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel on the issue last year, she had no qualms “in debunking the alleged connection between these food additives and ADHD.”
Colours, kids and controversy
Controversy over the safety of artificial food colours has been raging for years, but reached a new frenzy in 2007 following the publication of a highly controversial study conducted by the University of Southampton in the UK suggesting a link between six food dyes – the ‘Southampton Six’ – and hyperactivity in children.
While EFSA concluded that the results could not be used as a basis for altering the acceptable daily intakes of the colours in question, the European Parliament baffled many observers by insisting that products featuring the colours should nevertheless include warning labels noting that they “may have an effect on activity and attention in children”.
However, the US FDA Food Advisory Committee recently voted against recommending European-style warning labels on products containing artificial food colours in the US.
Scientific basis
Chronis-Tuscano said that the testimony from other experts on the panel on the recent FDA panel ‘convinces’ her that more conclusive research on the overall safety of artificial colours is needed.
She said that all parents “should think twice” before exposing children to artificial colours, but added that parents of children with ADHD “should not be misled into thinking that artificial dyes are the cause of the condition.”
“As a University of Maryland clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of this disorder, I told the FDA panel unequivocally that no convincing evidence supports the idea that food colour additives cause ADHD or that strict elimination diets effectively treat the condition. I stand by this assessment,” she said.
However, Chronis-Tuscano added that she has concerns regarding the overall safety of artificial colours, noting that the FDA committee experts “pointed out that appropriate toxicology studies have not been conducted to determine the effects of these additives on developing brains at different ages.”
“Given the lack of hard evidence, I am not convinced that food colouring additives are dangerous, but I am also not convinced that they are not. It is certainly possible that some small subset of children have a unique sensitivity to these substances.”
“The issue shouldn't end here. We need better answers about the effects of these additives,” she warned.
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