Why is FAUS Kicking Up Its Heels?

After more than 30 years of promoting diet changes for ADHD, the Feingold Association of the United States (FAUS) is rejoicing in an editorial on food additives in the British Medical Journal. In the article, Dr. Andrew Kemp, a professor of pediatric allergy and immunology, says research supports dietary intervention as a standard treatment for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

FAUS has long promoted the exclusion of food colorings and preservatives, and provides advice and support on how to follow variations of the diet. Their representative, Shula Edelkind, sent a response letter to the journal and was pleased to see it printed. Read here, entitled View from the Eye of the Storm.

Edelkind’s article gives a valuable summary and concludes: “[Select] additives have been shown to have other harmful ‘side effects’ including cancer, DNA damage, respiratory problems, reproductive damage and nerve damage. Thus, there are many good reasons to eliminate unnecessary chemicals like food dyes; can anybody name one good reason why they should be deliberately fed to children?”

Let’s see how long it takes for pediatricians to embrace the importance of dietary intervention for ADHD and give their prescription pads a rest.