Free Seminar on Avoiding Additives Linked to ADHD and Autism

I just saw this new press release from the Feingold Association, an organization I support and highly recommend.  With their permission, I am sharing it with you.  Please do share this with your friends, family and others who are in the Maryland and surrounding areas.  Thanks!  Love, Lisa

Seminar: Avoid Additives Linked to ADHD and Autism

 

A free seminar about dietary options for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), and other learning/behavior problems will be held by the nonprofit Feingold Association (www.ADHDdiet.org) on June 25th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.  This event will take place at the Marriott SpringHill Suites at 899 Elkridge Landing Road in Linthicum, Maryland (near BWI).  Reservations are not required. 

 

This seminar will introduce guests to the low-additive Feingold Diet, which eliminates petroleum-based food dyes, artificial flavors, and certain preservatives that have been shown by scientific studies to cause hyperactivity, impulsivity, short attention spans, and other problems. 

 

These studies, which include two British trials from the University of Southampton and a Harvard/Columbia University meta-analysis of 23 controlled studies, have inspired efforts to ban synthetic food dyes at both the Maryland state and national levels. 

 

In February, the Maryland Senate debated whether to ban six synthetic food dyes, including Red 40 and Yellow 5, because of their link with learning and behavior problems.  One Senate bill proposed banning the use of these dyes in all foods sold or served in Maryland, and another bill proposed that the state’s public schools and child care centers not be allowed to sell or serve foods containing these additives.  While the bills did not pass this year, the hearings increased public awareness of this issue.

 

Last summer, nineteen prominent psychiatrists, toxicologists, and pediatricians submitted a letter to the United States Congress urging members to hold hearings and to introduce legislation to end the use of synthetic food dyes that have negative effects on children’s behavior. 

 

"The first hints that food ingredients could impair children's behavior came in the mid-1970s, when the late Dr. Ben Feingold publicized his clinical findings,” they wrote.  “Many of the studies done over the years, in the U.S. and abroad, have confirmed that some children are adversely affected by foods, with food dyes being the ingredients most intensively studied."

 

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, with the support of the Feingold Association, also called on the Food and Drug Administration to ban eight synthetic food dyes and to require warning labels on all foods containing these dyes in the meantime.  

 

In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledged in its journal, AAP Grand Rounds, that "a trial of a preservative-free, food coloring-free diet is a reasonable intervention" for hyperactive children.  

 

This issue has also gained international momentum.  In June 2008, the European Parliament agreed to require labels on foods containing six synthetic dyes to warn that they “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” (Food manufacturers were given eighteen months to comply.)  What's more, the British Food Standards Agency has asked food companies in the United Kingdom to stop using these food dyes by the end of 2009 on a voluntary basis.

 

According to the Feingold Association, synthetic food additives have also been linked with dyslexia, speech difficulties, seizures, tics, and nightmares, as well as allergic reactions such as asthma and hives.   

 

The Feingold Association (www.ADHDdiet.org) helps families of children with learning/behavior problems to implement the low-additive Feingold Diet.  The charity publishes a handbook on the Feingold Diet, the Pure Facts Newsletter, a Fast Food & Restaurant Guide, a Foodlist & Shopping Guide, and a Mail Order Guide.  Its advisory board and board of directors include medical professionals from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Rochester, Stony Brook University, Baltimore's Sinai Hospital, and other institutions.

 

Individual dietary needs vary and no one diet will meet everyone's daily requirements.  Before starting any new diet, check with your doctor or nutritionist.

 

References

 

Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. D McCann et al., Lancet 2007 Nov 3;370(9598):1560-7 

 

The effects of a double blind placebo controlled artificial food colorings and benzoate preservatives challenge on hyperactivity in a general population sample of pre-school children.  B.J. Bateman, J.O. Warner, E. Hutchinson, T. Dean, P. Rowlandson, C. Gant, J. Grundy, C. Fitzgerald and J. Stevenson, Archives of Disease in Childhood 89: 506-511, June 2004 

 

Do artificial food colors promote hyperactivity in children with hyperactive syndromes?  A meta-analysis of double-blind placebo-controlled trials.  DW Schab et al., Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics 25(6):423-434, Dec 2004  

Contact:  Susan Guzo, (703) 841-0085, SusanGuzo@GuzoPR.com

Comments

[Lisa A. Lundy]

Thanks Alesia! That was the whole intent - normal foods just simply free of gluten, casein, food dyes, additives, and a few other allergens! I just took a Texas Sheet Cake to a picnic last night - labeled it as such and people tried it and loved it! It was so fun to watch their expressions of shock and amazement on how good and normal this chocolate cake tasted! You can find the recipe for the Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake on my blog under recipes! Keep me posted on how you are making out!
Love,
Lisa Lundy

[Alesia Walsh]

I just stumbled upon your blog tonight. I'm a mom that has a 9-year-old with ADHD. We are finishing week three of casein free, and getting ready to omit gluten. I am THRILLED to see your cook book of "normal" looking recipes! Can't wait to get it ordered, and really can't wait to receive it!

Alesia

[Lisa A. Lundy]

Hi Cayla,
Thanks for your comment!! It is always helpful to other parents to know hear testimonials of non-invasive methods that work for behavior issues!! I'm also glad to know about your blog!! Keep up the great work and let's support the Feingold Association where ever we can!! Happy eating!
Love,
Lisa Lundy

[Cayla]

Thank you for sharing that! I really appreciate when people share helpful news- especially when it involves something I am passionate about. Please check out www.reddyefree.blogspot.com for information about artificial colors, tons of information, and a section of very useful links! Our family has benefited from Feingold's research involving artificial colors. All of the behavioral problems that stemmed from foods containing harmful additives (especially red dye 40) have gone away - only returning when they accidentally eat something with it in it.
Thank you for your blog!
Sincerely,
Cayla