A study concluded in 2004 suggests that children fed a poor diet are more likely to be irritable, swear, argue, and generally develop an anti-social attitude.

Professor Adrian Raine from the University of Southern California (USC) co-authored a study based on the development of more than 1000 children from Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of South Africa.

The researchers analysed data over a 14-year-plus period which included factors such as social background, education and health, and they concluded that the more under-nourished the children, the greater the risk of anti-social behavior in later years.

Therefore, Professor Raine pointed out that parents could help prevent their children developing anti-social and aggressive bevavior by ensuring they receive a nutritional diet.

Read more about the study here.

In 2002 a study was conducted to test the effect of a common bread preservative on children following many anecdotal reports of child hyperactivity after consuming the bread preservative.

The study was published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The behaviour of twenty-seven children on the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital diet, which prohibits food additives, natural salicylates, amines and glutamates, improved significantly.

The children were then given bread containing the preservative calcium propionate (preservative code 282) or bread free of the preservative - placebo. They were allowed to eat four slices per day.
After only 3 days, the behaviour of 52% of children eating the bread with the preservative ‘worsened’ in comparison to the others.

The study authors noted a multitude of symptoms in the children whose behaviour deteriorated including irritability, restlessness, inattention and sleep disturbance. And they concluded, “Minimizing the concentrations [of the preservative] added to processed foods would reduce adverse reactions”.

Calcium propionate (preservative code 282) is very common bread preservative used in many countries worldwide.

Read more about the study here.

Parents have long suspected that additives in processed foods can affect their children’s behaviour and mood,and possibly contribute to ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Such serious concerns have pressurised some manufacturers to create processed foods without any additives.

An interesting experiment on the Trevor McDonald Tonight show (ITV, UK) demonstrated that identical twins fed altered diets behaved differently. Michael and Christopher Parker, aged 5, were put on different diets for two weeks.

Christopher was allowed to eat his normal diet which included fizzy drinks, chocolates, ice cream, flavoured crisps and canned foods. Michael was banned from eating chocolate, artificially coloured sweets, soft drinks, certain canned foods and was allowed to eat fruit and other whole foods and to drink natural juice and water.

After two weeks, Michael became calmer, more assertive and talkative, while his brother remained the same. Aptitude tests before the experiment, devised by Professor Jim Stevenson of Southampton University, showed that the twins had similar concentration and IQ scores. Tests after the experiment demonstrated that Michael’s overall score had increased by 15% in comparison to his brother’s score who was fed his normal diet. Michael’s mum was amazed by his dramatic improvement.

The experiment was broadened to include Michael and Christopher’s classmates in Cheshire. After a fortnight of restricting additives, 57% of parents noticed improvements in their children’s behaviour and sleep patterns, suggesting that food additives may not only contribute but, in some cases, cause ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

This experiment suggests a low or free additive diet improves concentration, mood and even behaviour in some if not many children. However, firm conclusions should not be drawn from such an experiment - the children’s parents could have easily affected the experiment’s outcome and/or the improvement could be down to increased vitamin and mineral intake, or some other factor, but this experiment’s findings are supported by a number of studies!

This experiment was conducted by: www.ITV.com