Research appearing in the journal, Annals of Allergy, May 1994 evaluated 26 children with ADHD. The children were put on an allergy elimination diet. Along with eliminating artificial colors and preservatives, some foods were eliminated. These included common allergens like wheat, dairy products, egg, corn, yeast, soy, citrus, chocolate and peanuts. Of the 26 subjects, 19 responded well to the diet. The 19 all reacted to various foods or chemicals when challenged (remove allergic substances for a period of time and the reintroduce them to see if the child reacts).
The researches tried a placebo-controlled food challenge in 16 of the children. All 16 did better on the days they took the placebo. The authors suggest that eliminating artificial colors and other chemicals, along with a hyperallergenic diet may be beneficial to some ADHD patients. Diet may play an important role in the cause and treatment of ADHD.
