The British School

Food and Behaviour - let's all get a good FAB attitude

With so much compelling evidence that clearly links eating foods that contain artificial additives; or junk foods, fizzy drinks and sweets to poor concentration levels, poor learning ability and poor behaviour, isn't it about time we paid more attention what we are feeding our children.

Take artificial colourings and other "E" numbers, for example, which have been in the bad books for ages now. Last year came the publication of the best evidence to date supporting the idea that cutting them out of a child's diet can result in significant improvements with behaviour.

In a study sponsored by the UK government, Professor John Warner and colleagues studied 277 three-year-olds on the Isle of Wight, and categorized them into four groups--those with allergy, those with signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), children with both and those with neither.

The children were all put on a diet that eliminated artificial food colourings and benzoate preservatives. The researchers then supplemented the diet with a fruit drink that either did or did not contain the artificial junk. The children's behaviour was assessed by parents and by an outside observer; neither of who knew which drink the child was drinking.

The study found significant reductions in hyperactive behaviour when the children were not getting the additives, and increases in hyperactivity when they were. "It wasn't just a sub-group of children who were affected, it was across the board," says Dr. Alex Richardson, of Oxford University, a high profile researcher in the field.

Richardson herself is the senior investigator in a study looking at the latest hot-button subject in diet and behaviour, fish oils--which many parents will tell you can transform the behaviour of a "problem" child.

Fish oils are high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are known to be important for brain development, hormonal balance and the immune system, but which many modern diets lack. There are even suggestions that the evolution of humans' cognitive function is linked to fish eating.

The scientific evidence of the benefits of fish oil supplements is so far not conclusive. But it's about to get a boost, as a largish study conducted by Richardson and colleagues in children has now been accepted for publication in a scientific journal.

Because the results have not yet been published, Richardson won't divulge the full outcome yet. But she would say that giving the children a daily fish oil supplement containing half a gram of omega three fatty acids resulted in significant improvements. "What we've shown is that you can improve behaviour and learning with these oils," she said.

It's not the first study to show dramatic improvements in behaviour with dietary supplements. As long ago as 2002, for example, researchers studying teens in a young offenders institution found that dietary changes could reduce violence. The researchers looked at the effects of supplemental fatty acids, minerals and vitamins on the behaviour of 231 prisoners. They found striking results--antisocial behaviour dropped 35% among inmates who took the supplements for two weeks or more compared to those who didn't.

For our children's sake let's pay a bit more attention to what we are feeding them. Lunchboxes may not be the easiest things to fill but taking a little preparation time it is remarkably easy to provide healthy meals rather than the packaged, processed, or junk food handy options, have a look at our Healthy Lunchbox ideas.