Additives in sweets and soft drinks made by multinational companies have been found to cause hyperactivity in children. The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which funded a three-year follow-up to an earlier study, rejected calls for a ban on the additives. Instead, the regulator advised parents to avoid the ingredients if their children showed signs of hyperactivity.

The study strengthens a link between additives and behavioural difficulties first publicised in the 1970s, but confirms for the first time that they cause hyperactivity among normal infants. In the study 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight-year-olds in Southampton were randomly given daily fruit juice drinks, some containing additives and some containing a placebo. Additives used are commonly found in Pepsi Max, Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper, while the other E-numbers are to be found in many sweets and cakes.

After drinking them, the younger children were monitored by parents, teachers and trained observers, while the older children also sat a computer hyperactivity test. Both drinks given to both age groups had a greater effect than the placebo, though in one of the four groups the change was just below statistical significance. All four groups showed higher signs of hyperactivity. On average, children exhibited about 10 per cent of the level of symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Professor Jim Stevenson, who led the study, wrote: "The present findings, in combination with the replicated evidence for the artificial food colour and additives effects on the behaviour of three-year-old children, lent strong support for the case that food additives exacerbate hyperactive behaviours."

The FSA has held talks with the food industry, which has been slowly withdrawing additives in recent years. The food regulator said it issued its advice after consulting the independent committee on toxicity, which decided that the effects were not so widespread they posed a threat to the general population.

Dr Andrew Wadge, the FSA's chief scientist, said: "If a child shows signs of hyperactivity or ADHD, then eliminating the colours used in the Southampton study from their diet might have some beneficial effects."
He added: "However, we need to remember that there are many factors associated with hyperactive behaviour in children. These are thought to include genetic factors, being born prematurely, or environment and upbringing."

Source: Independent News Sept 07


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