Children who consume food additives such as colourings and preservatives are more likely to have behavioural problems according to British research.
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The study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood was conducted on 277 three-year-olds over four weeks. During the first week, their diet contained no additives. During the next three weeks, the children were secretly given a daily dose of 20 milligrams of food colouring as well as 45 milligrams of sodium benzoate.
Parents said additive-consuming children were calmer than usual the first week and the opposite for the following three weeks. The number of children classified as hyperactive fell to 6% from 15% with the change in diet.
