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Dietary influences on cognitive development and behaviour in children
1Developmental Brain Behaviour Unit, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK. jsteven@soton.ac.uk
The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
|December 22, 2006
Summary
Dietary factors like food additives and fatty acids may impact children's behavior, particularly hyperactivity. Dietary changes can be a helpful, non-drug approach for some children, but require careful consideration.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Food influences behavior through various mechanisms including malnutrition, diet types, eating habits, and specific components like fatty acids and additives.
- Behavioral changes affected by food range widely, encompassing attention, mood, and conduct disorder, with a specific interest in childhood hyperactivity.
- Dietary manipulation is often preferred over medication for managing behavioral issues like hyperactivity in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the influence of food on behavior, with a focus on hyperactivity in children.
- To investigate the potential role of fatty acids and food additives in childhood hyperactivity.
- To assess dietary manipulation as a treatment approach for behavioral problems in children.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on food's impact on behavior.
- Analysis of preliminary evidence regarding fatty acid and food additive effects.
- Consideration of dietary interventions for behavioral issues.
Main Results:
- Initial evidence suggests fatty acids may influence hyperactivity in children with specific learning disabilities.
- Some food additives (colorings, flavorings, preservatives) may exacerbate hyperactivity in children with behavioral problems.
- Dietary manipulation is a more acceptable treatment for hyperactivity than drugs, but unsupervised diets carry risks.
Conclusions:
- Dietary factors, including fatty acids and additives, can influence children's behavior and hyperactivity.
- While dietary interventions are promising, they should be approached with caution and awareness of potential risks.
- Further research, including studies on additives' effects in the general child population, is warranted.
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