One prevailing conceptualization of negative behavior is that it can be linked to allergic food reactions. Early historical examinations of food dyes and additives claimed that a link was evident. However, recent research has since shown no connection between food additives and adversive behavior. Past and current research on the effects of foods ingested on hyperactivity and other negative behaviors is examined in this article. Methods for informing the public of the findings are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ConnersC. K. (1973). Rating scales for use in drug studies with children.Psychopharmacology Bulletin, Special Issue on Children, 24–42.
2.
ConnersC. K. (1980). Food additives and hyperactive children.New York: Plenum.
3.
ConnersC. K., & GoyetteC. H. (1977). The effect of certified food dyes on behavior: A challenge test.New Clinical Drugs Evaluation Unit Interum, 7, 18–19.
4.
ConnersC. K., GoyetteC. H., & NewmanD. B. (1978, August 18). Dose-time effect of artificial colors in hyperactive children. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, ON, Canada.
5.
ConnersC. K., GoyetteC. H., SouthwickD. A., LeesJ. M., & AndrulonisP. A. (1976). Food additives and hyperkinesis: A controlled double-blind experiment.Pediatrics, 58, 154–166.
6.
CrookW. G., HarrisonW. W., CrawfordS. E., & EmersonB. S. (1961). Systematic manifestations due to allergy.Pediatrics, 27, 790–799.
7.
FeingoldB. F. (1968). Recognition of food additives as a cause of symptoms of allergy.Annals of Allergy, 26, 309–313.
8.
FeingoldB. F. (1974, June 24). Hyperkinesis and learning difficulty (H-LD) linked to the ingestion of artificial colors and flavors. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association Section on Allergy, Chicago, IL.
9.
FeingoldB. F. (1975a). Hyperkinesis and learning disabilities linked to artificial food flavors and colors.American Journal of Nursing, 75, 797–803.
10.
FeingoldB. F. (1975b). Why your child is hyperactive.New York: Random House.
11.
FergusonA. (1990). Food sensitivity or self-deception?New England Journal of Medicine, 323, 476–478.
12.
FergusonH. B., StoddartC., & SimeonJ. G. (1986). Double-blind challenge studies of behavioral and cognitive effects of sucrose-aspartame ingestion in normal children.Nutrition Reviews, 44(Suppl), 144–150.
JewettD. L., FeinG., & GreenbergM. H. (1990). A double-blind study of symptom provocation to determine food sensitivity.New England Journal of Medicine, 323, 429–433.
15.
KingD. S. (1981). Can allergic exposure provoke psychological symptoms? A double-blind test.Biological Psychiatry, 16, 3–19.
16.
MilichR., WolraichM., & LindgrenS. (1986). Sugar and hyperactivity: A critical review of empirical findings.Clinical Psychology Review, 6, 493–513.
17.
National Advisory Committee on Hyperkinesis and Food Additives. (1975). Report to The Nutrition Foundation. (Available from The Nutrition Foundation, Inc., 482 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018)
18.
National Institute of Mental Health. (1973). Pharmacotherapy of children.Psychopharmacology Bulletin, Special Issue on Children, 139–140.
19.
ParkerS. L., GarnerD. M., LeznoffA., SussmanG. L., TarloS. M., & KrondlM. (1991). Psychological characteristics of patients with reported adverse reactions to food.International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10, 433–439.
20.
PearsonD. J., RixK. J. B., & BentleyS. J. (1983). Food allergy: How much in the mind? A clinical and psychiatric study of suspected food hypersensitivity.Lancet, 1259–1261.
21.
PrinzR. J., RobertsW. A., & HartmanE. (1980). Dietary correlates of hyperactivity in children.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 760–770.
22.
RixK. J. B., PearsonD. J., & BentleyS. J. (1984). A psychiatric study of patients with supposed food allergy.British Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 121–126.
23.
RoweA. H. (1931). Food allergy: Its manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment.Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger.
24.
StevensG. E., StevensL. J., & StonerR. B. (1977). How to feed your hyperactive child.New York: Doubleday.
25.
U.S. Senate. (1973, October 3). Reprints of the Feingold reports.Congressional Record, 19736–19742.
26.
Walls-MitchellJ. W. (1984). Help for the hyperactive child through diet and love.White Hall, VA: Betterway Publications.
27.
WeissB., MargenS., WilliamsJ. G., AbramsB., CaanB., CitronL. J., McKibbenJ., OgarD., & Schultz.S. (1978, December). Final report on Phase 2 (FDA Contract No. 223-76-2040). Washington, DC: Food and Drug Administration.