Lack of Behavioral Effects from Feingold Diet Violations

Abstract

Children were included in this challenge study if according to parental report (1) the child's hyperactive behavior had been noticeably improved for at least 3 mo. as a result of adherence to the Feingold diet and (2) dietary violations such as those used in the study were reported to have a noticeable negative effect. Evaluations of 14 objective measures in a double-blind, cross-over design yielded no significant differences between diet infraction and noninfraction conditions. In addition to questioning the stated efficacy of the diet, findings suggest that one should not depend solely on parental report when evaluating a dietary effect and should also weight potential negative effect of adherence to the diet.

A Research Model for Investigating the Effects of Artificial Food Colorings on Children With ADHD

“…With the majority of studies conducted before 1990, diagnostic criteria used for sample selection were largely outdated, which raises concerns about the generalizability of results to an ADHD population. [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][57][58][59]61,62 The outcome assessment methodology used in the majority of studies lacks consistency with current standards for ADHD assessment, which require measuring change in both symptoms of the disorder and functional impairments associated with the disorder and ensuring that measurements are made in multiple settings with multiple informants and different methodologies. 63 These discrepancies raise questions concerning the reliability of the conclusions drawn in these studies.…”

In Pursuit of Excellence: The Past as Prologue to a Brighter Future for Special Education

“…A variety of special diets such as the Feingold Diet (Feingold, 1977(Feingold, , 1996 and the Gluten Free Casein Free Diet (Knivsberg, Reichelt, Hoien, & Nodland, 2003) have been reported to show positive results. Other researchers, however, have failed to replicate these positive results, and most experts believe that the positive results identified earlier are seen in only a small number of individuals (Adams, 1981;Kavale & Forness, 1983;Mattes, 1983). Despite the lack of empirical evidence to support the efficacy of such dietary interventions, many parents continue to rely on these treatment options.…”

CIMMYT Series on Carbohydrates, Wheat, Grains, and Health: Role of Carbohydrates and Grains in Nutrition and Neurological Disorders: Headache, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Depression,

“…When using an uncontrolled diet methodology, ADHD symptoms have been shown to improve when following a diet without artificial colors. However, randomized controlled trials did not find significant effects of diets without artificial colors on ADHD symptoms (68)(69)(70)(71)(72)(73)(74). A recent metaanalysis reinforced findings that suggest…”