Many parents of children with ADHD swear that certain foods set their kids off. Doctors and researchers have been less sure. A recent study vindicates Mom & Dad…at least partially.

Investigators at the ADHD Research Centre, Eindhoven, Netherlands, randomized 100 ADHD kids, aged 4-8, to an elimination diet or a “general healthy” diet. The elimination diet excluded wheat, eggs, tomatoes, dairy and other common food allergens.

After 5 weeks, 64% of the kids on the elimination diet had significant symptom improvements. No improvement was observed in the controls (Pelsser LM, et al. Lancet. 2011;377(9764):494-503). Those who improved underwent a second phase in which potential food triggers were added back. Interestingly, there were no correlations between serum IgG levels, indicating specific allergies, and relapses.

The authors conclude that elimination diets are useful for testing whether specific foods exacerbate ADHD, and for minimizing symptoms. But they challenge the practice of “prescribing” diets based on serum IgG blood tests.

For a Chinese medicine angle on ADHD: read The Five Faces of ADHD