ADHD: A Hypersensitivity Reaction to Food?
New research from the Netherlands suggests that ADHD might be, for a majority of children, a hypersensitive reaction to food, rather than a disorder to medicalize and pharmaceuticalize. Dr. Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands is lead author of the paper that appeared in The Lancet, and it looks like they took 100 kids with ADHD, split them into two groups (a control and a test group), and then did an elimination diet to see the results*. The results showed that in 64 percent of children with ADHD, the symptoms were caused by food. (Dr. Pelsser's study is also not the first to note that there appears to be a food/diet component in ADHD.) Why is this important? Well, other research suggests that there are serious long-term effects to utilizing stimulants in children.
Notably, Dr. Pelsser does not say that children with ADHD should not be medicated. What she is saying is that other options should be explored first, including food sensitivities. She believes doctors need to be trained to do these strict food eliminations - and that many kids would be able to be unmedicated if this happened.
It's also worth noting that she recommends this elimination diet be supervised by a doctor (and she does acknowledge that this may be difficult). Still, it might be worth exploring, especially for those looking for an alternative treatment for ADHD.
*It's a bit more complex than that, but I'm simplifying - feel free to smack me on the nose if I oversimplified.
Notably, Dr. Pelsser does not say that children with ADHD should not be medicated. What she is saying is that other options should be explored first, including food sensitivities. She believes doctors need to be trained to do these strict food eliminations - and that many kids would be able to be unmedicated if this happened.
It's also worth noting that she recommends this elimination diet be supervised by a doctor (and she does acknowledge that this may be difficult). Still, it might be worth exploring, especially for those looking for an alternative treatment for ADHD.
*It's a bit more complex than that, but I'm simplifying - feel free to smack me on the nose if I oversimplified.