Discover Magazine: Common Food Additive Doubles Kids' Hyperactivity

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http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/food-additives2019-effect-on-childrenSodium benzoate seems to be much more than just a preservative...

by Hollingham

Can food additives affect children¢s behavior? A study published in the November 3 issue of the British medical journal The Lancet suggests they can.

A team from the University of Southampton in England measured levels

of hyperactivity in 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight- and

nine-year-olds. The children were put on a diet free of the additives

used in the experiment. Then each day over a six-week period they were

given one of two mixtures with artificial coloring and the preservative

sodium benzoate, or a plain fruit juice placebo. All the drinks looked

and tasted identical.

Researchers observed the children in the classroom and analyzed

reports of their behavior from parents and teachers. The older kids

were also given a computer-based attention test. The results from all

these tests were scored to produce a measure of hyperactivity known as

a global hyperactivity aggregate (GHA). The higher the GHA, the greater

the hyperactivity.

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