Plenty of food for thought

By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter


They are the kinds of foods and drinks most children love: Fanta, Twisties, snack bars.

But many parents have suspected the artificial additives these and countless other foods and drinks contain cause hyperactivity.

They have gained support from some British doctors who suggest the artificial colourings and the preservative sodium benzoate should be banned.

A Southampton University study of 277 preschoolers this week linked hyperactivity to the additives.

The children were put on an additive-free diet and later given fruit juice. For some the juice contained additives, but neither the parents nor the children were told which was which.

Parents reported more disruptive and inattentive behaviour during weeks when their children drank the juice with additives, although independent observers were unable to confirm these effects.

Auckland mother Charmaine January is not surprised by the findings. She said her 6-year-old son Sean had long been overactive and hard to control after consuming the likes of Fanta, Twisties and LCMs snack bars.

They are among his favourite foods. His mother tries to limit his intake of these types of foods, adding snacks of fruit, vegetables and sandwiches and eliminating fizzy drink. But sometimes she bends to Sean's nagging. "Even if I hide the stuff he finds it. It's like someone who's on drugs. He has to have some of this or he goes berserk."

Sean said it was a bit unfair that his mother tried to stop him eating his favourite foods. "I feel a bit hungry."

Mrs January said her daughter Vicki, 10, seemed unaffected by the additives, although she ate less of foods containing them.

New Zealand health experts are divided on the link to hyperactivity.

Professor Jim Mann, of Otago University, said reputable studies had produced results for and against the theory. "My own gut feeling is that there is something there."

But Auckland allergy specialist Dr Vincent Crump doubted this. He had put children on additive-free diets and seen no change in their behaviour. It was difficult to design a study that was free of parental bias.

"Many mothers, because they want to see an improvement, can make themselves see things."

Dr Crump said many parents thought party food made children hyperactive, but he put it down to the excitement of being at a party.

Kellogg, the maker of LCMs, said four of the five products in the range were free of colourings and urged those concerned about reactions to choose them.

Fanta brand owner Coca-Cola Oceania declined to comment on the Southampton study, but referred to medical opinion and trials that "generally refute" any link between hyperactivity and additives.