What Role does Diet Play in the Causes and Symptoms of ADHD?

When looking for underlying causes of this mental disorder, it seems only natural to suspect diet and nutrition as a culprit. The importance of eating healthy has been well established as crucial in achieving and maintaining optimal mental functioning. However, research shows diet and nutrition to be one of the lesser contributing factors.

One theory was that refined sugar and food additives make children hyperactive and inattentive. Parents were encouraged to stop serving children foods containing artificial flavorings, preservatives, and sugars. However, in 1982, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Federal agency responsible for biomedical research, held a conference to discuss the issue. After studying the data, scientists concluded the following.

• Restricted diet only seemed to help about five percent of children with ADHD, mostly either young children or children with food allergies.
• There is very little evidence to support claims that food allergies and sensitivities significantly contribute to causes and symptoms of ADHD.
• Sugar, chocolate, colors, additives, flavors, eggs, milk, wheat and corn can produce symptoms that mimic those of ADHD but do not contribute to the cause of it.
• There has been some evidence that children with ADHD lack amino acids and zinc needed for proper brain functioning, but little has been studied about this.

A new study also shows a definite correlation between high manganese, an ingredient in soy-based formula for infants, and lower dopamine levels. This may indicate that elevated exposure to manganese during early development increases children's risk for hyperactivity or other behavior problems. Millions of infants drink soy-based formula, which can contain as much as 80 times the amount of manganese as breast milk. More research is still needed to determine whether high manganese doses result in permanent behavioral problems, including ADHD.