What exactly is attention deficit disorder and how can children or adults with this condition incorporate techniques into their daily routine to alleviate stress and stay more organized? ADHD is a neurological disorder that impacts the parts of the brain that help with planning, focusing, and executing tasks. A developmental impairment of the brain’s self-management system, diagnoses can range by sub-types of inattentive, hyperactive, or combined. While ADHD is a chronic condition, quality of living has shown to have a profound effect on its triggers. The significant role that nutrition plays in mental health has brought to light “alternative” or “nonmedical” treatments to ADHD, such as dietary intervention and supplementation. Over the years, there have been multiple dietary interventions that have been discovered. This includes single nutrient supplements, multi-nutrient supplements, and supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids. Another option is a food elimination diet for foods that exacerbate hyperactivity. This includes the elimination of foods that are high in sugar and artificial coloring, specifically found in Red Dye 40.
Elimination Diet
In an elimination diet, an individual removes one or more foods from his or her diet for a period of time in order to identify food sensitivities that may impact their ADHD symptoms. This can include wheat, dairy, nuts, soy, or artificial food dyes, which are thought to cause adverse reactions in some people with ADHD. Triggering foods can lead to periods of inattention, hyperactivity, or unpredictable emotions. This effect is caused by a food sensitivity, which differs from a food allergy; an allergy can be detected through a skin or blood test, whereas a food sensitivity cannot. The best way to identify a food sensitivity, experts say, is through an elimination diet.
How does an elimination diet work and what are the types?
Elimination diets can be done independently or with the help of a professional dietician. There are three main types of elimination diets that can be explored.
Removing Antigenic Foods from One’s Diet
A current study confirms that an “oligoantigenic” or “few foods” diet can lead to “symptom reduction in children and adolescents with ADHD. In this study, approximately 60% of patients have shown a significant improvement after four weeks of eliminating antigenic foods from one’s diet, providing insight that food intolerances are a possible cause of increased symptoms of ADHD. This diet is most often used in research studies, as it consists of a very small number of foods and is difficult for individuals to maintain on their own. Most foods are eliminated, except those least likely to cause any problems: rice, meat, vegetables, pears, and water. To avoid nutritional deficiencies, patients should only try this diet with the help of a licensed professional.
Eliminating the Culprit
A multiple-food elimination diet removes the foods that most commonly cause a reaction. Most versions eliminate dairy products, wheat, corn, soy, eggs, nuts, citrus, and artificial colors and flavors. In a research study made back in 2004, an analysis of the fifteen best studies done on food coloring and ADHD found a clear connection between artificial food colorings and hyperactivity in children with ADHD. The studies concluded that artificial food colorings can result in significant changes in behavior in people with ADHD. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which in 2008 asked the FDA to ban Red 40, Yellow 5, and six other synthetic colorings, says that the dyes fail to meet the federal safety standard for color additives, which requires “convincing evidence that establishes with reasonable certainty that no harm will result from the intended use of the color additive.”
A single-food elimination diet serves as a much more basic approach, removing one or two foods at a time, specifically avoiding the two most common food allergy triggers: wheat (including gluten items) and dairy. Instead, eat gluten-free foods and brown rice, millet, buckwheat, or quinoa.
Adding supplements for a healthy brain
Omega-3 fatty acids can usually be given in the form of the supplement fish oil. Fish oil contains the polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are thought to influence the production and release of neurotransmitters. This includes chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that help brain cells communicate. Research suggests that children with ADHD have lower omega-3 levels than do other kids their age. Omega-3s are one of the best-researched supplements for ADHD, and they can be added with other supplements to garner the best results. A nutritional compound that can be added to fish oil, such as phosphatidylserine, or PS, is a type of phospholipid that helps form the outer membrane of brain cells. According to Greenblatt, M.D., “Neurons with healthy membranes do a better job of communicating with each other- resulting in more balanced emotions and better behavior.”
Single nutrient and multi-nutrient supplementation is an integrative approach that has shown to be successful in a multi-modal treatment plan. Magnesium, zinc, and iron are all important for regulating levels of neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals, such as melatonin. All three of these minerals are important for regulating levels of neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals, such as melatonin for sleep. Newmark, M.D., explains how “children with ADHD are more likely to be lacking in magnesium, zinc, and iron than are their peers.” This deficiency, researchers say, might contribute to ADHD symptoms. Vitamins B6, C, and D have also been shown to improve symptoms of ADHD. Vitamin B6 specifically is involved in the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. Some supplements pair magnesium with Vitamin B6, in which research suggests that the combination might help with hyperactivity, aggressiveness, and attention in school.
References
Baza, Farida El, et al. “Magnesium Supplementation in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.” Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics, No Longer Published by Elsevier, 7 July 2015, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110863015000555.
Bloch, Michael H, and Jilian Mulqueen. “Nutritional Supplements for the Treatment of ADHD.” Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4170184/.
“CSPI Urges FDA to Ban Artificial Food Dyes Linked to Behavior Problems.” Center for Science in the Public Interest, 19 Jan. 2016, cspinet.org/new/200806022.html.
Dodson, William. “What Is ADHD? Meaning, Symptoms & Tests.” ADDitude, 18 Mar. 2021, www.additudemag.com/what-is-adhd-symptoms-causes-treatments/.
Dölp, Anna, et al. “Oligoantigenic Diet Improves Children’s ADHD Rating Scale Scores Reliably in Added Video-Rating.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 10 July 2020, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00730/full
“Elimination Diet and Food Challenge Test for Diagnosing Allergies.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/allergies/allergies-elimination-diet.
Esparham, Anna et al. “Pediatric Integrative Medicine Approaches to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” Children (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 1,2 186-207. 27 Aug. 2014, doi:10.3390/children1020186
Gupta, Subash C, et al. “Therapeutic Roles of Curcumin: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials.” The AAPS Journal, Springer US, Jan. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3535097/table/Tab1/.
Hariri, Mitra, and Leila Azadbakht. “Magnesium, Iron, and Zinc Supplementation for the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review on the Recent Literature.” International journal of preventive medicine vol. 6 83. 2 Sep. 2015, doi:10.4103/2008- 7802.164313
Ly, Verena et al. “Elimination diets’ efficacy and mechanisms in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.” European child & adolescent psychiatry vol. 26,9 (2017): 1067-1079. doi:10.1007/s00787-017-0959-1
Newmark, Sandy, and Sharon Saline. “10 ADHD Supplements and Vitamins for Symptom Control.” ADDitude, 3 Feb. 2021, www.additudemag.com/vitamins-minerals-adhd-treatment-plan/.
Newmark, Sandy. “Eggs, Dairy, Nuts, and Soy: Testing for Food Sensitivities with an ADHD Elimination Diet.” ADDitude, 28 Apr. 2020, www.additudemag.com/testing-for-food-sensitivities-in-children-with-adhd/.
Newmark, Sandy. “Vitamin Power! 8 Best Supplements for ADHD.” ADDitude, ADDitude, 19 June 2019, www.additudemag.com/best-supplements-for-adhd-zinc-magnesium-iron-and-more/.
Parletta, Natalie, et al. “Omega-3 and Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Correlations with Symptoms in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Controls.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0156432.
Pelsser, Lidy M et al. “Effects of a restricted elimination diet on the behaviour of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (INCA study): a randomised controlled trial.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 377,9764 (2011): 494-503. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62227-1
“Seeing Red: Report Finds FDA Fails to Protect Children in Light of New Evidence on Food Dyes.” Center for Science in the Public Interest, 21 Nov. 2016, www.cspinet.org/new/201601191.html.
Watson, Stephanie. “Fish Oil & Beyond: Our Readers’ Most Popular Supplements for ADHD.” ADDitude, 8 Feb. 2021, www.additudemag.com/best-supplements-adhd-men-women-kids/.
