Diet restriction can help kids with ADHD, study shows

Diet restriction can help kids with ADHD

A new study published Friday in the medical journal The Lancet suggests that diet restriction can help ease symptoms of ADHD in children.

The ADHD Research Center and Radboud University in the Netherlands conducted the study of 100 children aged four to eight years who were diagnosed with the mental disorder.

One group of children were given a general diet and another group received an elimination diet for five weeks. The latter diet consisted of rice, water, fruits, vegetables and white meat.

The researchers selected food items which were not known to trigger allergies so they did not include eggs, wheat, oranges, tomatoes and dairy products.

The findings showed that 64 percent of the kids who ate the restricted diet had less  severe symptoms of ADHD and demonstrated a decline in "oppositional defiant disorder symptoms." Past studies indicated that ADHD may be a type of allergy triggered by food and the study researchers wished to explore the link between food and the mental condition.

"Dietary intervention should be considered in all children with ADHD, provided parents are willing to follow a diagnostic restricted elimination diet for a five-week period, and provided expert supervision is available," the researchers wrote.

Scientists have yet to find a cure for ADHD which causes irritability, restlessness, impulsive behavior and inability to focus in children. The approximately 3 to 5 percent of kids around the world with ADHD often exhibit behavioral problems at home and at school.

Currently, ADHD symptoms are managed by drug and behavioral therapy. The study about easing symptoms through diet restriction may help enhance the effect of these conventional therapies in some children with ADHD.

Posted by George Daniels on Saturday February 05 2011, 4:02 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0