Sugar Not Linked To ADHD. Genes, Parents, Smoking Blamed

So I guess the world is going to go through yet another round of dueling opinions over whether ADHD in children is linked to food additives. Last week, the UK banned one coloring in Diet Coke, citing evidence it was linked to ADHD, and UK health authorities have called for bans on a number of additives and food colorings, and American researchers are starting to take the issue seriously again. Much of this stems from a study in The Lancet last year which linked as many as 30 percent of ADHD cases in Britain to diet.

How strong that evidence is I am not in a position to assess, but it's now being challenged somewhat by a British researcher who asserts that "food may not be the major cause of hyperactivity in children. Genetics, brain function and parental actions such as smoking may be just as important." I get his point, but smoking (presumably by parents) as a cause of ADHD is a new one on me.

The researcher's broader point relates to sugary diets, however:

"Various mechanisms by which sucrose could influence behavior are reviewed. Firstly there is food intolerance. There are dozens of foods to which an adverse reaction has been demonstrated, although a reaction to sucrose is less frequent than many other foods. A second possible mechanism is hypoglycemia. There is evidence that a tendency to develop low blood glucose levels, but higher than those that can be described clinically as hypoglycemic, is associated with irritability and violence. However, sucrose is not the predominant cause of swings in blood glucose levels. Thirdly, the role of sucrose intake on micro-nutrient status has been considered as studies have found that micro-nutrient supplementation decreased anti-social behavior. Micro-nutrient intake is more closely associated with the total energy rather than sucrose intake; typically the amount of sucrose in the diet does not lead to micro-nutrient deficiency. In fact meta-analysis of well designed studies that have examined the impact of sucrose on the behavior of children produced no evidence that it has an adverse influence."

The article is from Food Science and Nutrition.

It's going to be interesting to watch this debate play out, especially since the media in Australia seems to be in an uproar (and rightly so) over findings that oodles of little kids are being given ADHD meds Down Under.