salicylates and Child-Behavior-Disorders

Topics: Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Diet; Flavoring Agents; Food Additives; Food Analysis; Food Coloring Agents; Forecasting; Humans; Hyperkinesis; Learning Disabilities; Motor Activity; Salicylates; Schools; Syndrome; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration

Topics: Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Clinical Trials as Topic; Double-Blind Method; Food Hypersensitivity; Humans; Salicylates

A review of case notes from our Sydney-based paediatric allergy services, between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2011, identified 74 children who had been prescribed diets that eliminated foods containing natural salicylates before attending our clinics. The most common indications for starting the diets were eczema (34/74) and behavioural disturbances (17/74) including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We could find no peer-reviewed evidence to support the efficacy of salicylate elimination diets in managing these diseases. We do not prescribe these diets, and in a survey of European and North American food allergy experts, only 1/23 respondents used a similar diet for eczema, with none of the respondents using salicylate elimination to treat ADHD. A high proportion (31/66) of children suffered adverse outcomes, including nutritional deficiencies and food aversion, with four children developing eating disorders. We could find no published evidence to support the safety of these diets in children. While this uncontrolled study does not prove a causal relationship between salicylate elimination diets and harm, the frequency of adverse events appears high, and in the absence of evidence of safety or efficacy, we cannot recommend the use of these diets in children.

Topics: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Diet; Eczema; Humans; Salicylates; Treatment Outcome

A food additive-free diet has been recommended as a component of the treatment of developmental/behavioral disorders in children. This diet was initially developed by Dr. Benjamin Feingold for the treatment of aspirin sensitivity in adults, and then extended by him to the management, particularly, of hyperactivity and learning disability in children. The rationale for this diet and the methods employed in investigating its use are described. The claimed therapeutic effects of this diet have been investigated in a number of well-designed studies reviewed here. These studies generally refute a causal association between food additives and behavioral disturbance in children. Suggestions are made regarding the approach towards food additive-free diet therapy in the management of developmental/behavioral disorders.

Topics: Acting Out; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Food Additives; Food Coloring Agents; Humans; Learning Disabilities; Research; Salicylates

Topics: Butylated Hydroxyanisole; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Child, Preschool; Diet; Erythrosine; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food Additives; Humans; Male; Pregnancy; Salicylates; Tartrazine

Topics: Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Child, Preschool; Epilepsy; Food Additives; Humans; Hyperkinesis; Salicylates