| For years parents have attributed their children's | | | | does not cause ADD. |
| negative behaviors including hyperactivity, | | | | Red food dyes, another part of most children's diets |
| inattentiveness, and impulsiveness to specific aspects | | | | was also suspected of causing ADD symptoms. Food |
| of their diet, mostly sugar and food additives. Studies | | | | dyes have been extensively tested for their |
| over the years have not been able to determine the | | | | contribution to ADD symptoms and while they have |
| cause of these behaviors, referred to as ADD or | | | | been found to not be the cause of ADD they can |
| attention deficit disorder. Researchers have, however, | | | | worsen the symptoms of ADD in children with the |
| found some dietary components that can contribute to | | | | disorder. Experts now agree that red food dyes |
| ADD symptoms and other components that seem to | | | | should be avoided if children exhibit the symptoms of |
| help improve symptoms. | | | | ADD to help improve their behaviors. |
| Sugar has had a reputation for contributing to | | | | Some dietary components can help improve the |
| behavioral problems in children for many years. | | | | behavior of children with ADD as well, including Omega |
| Parents used to think that too much sugar caused | | | | 3 fatty acids. Children with ADD show a greater |
| their children to act with these symptoms so they cut | | | | improvement in behavior when they eat higher |
| sugar out of their diets. This tactic didn't work for the | | | | amounts of omega acids than children who do not |
| majority children, however, causing parents to wonder | | | | supplement their diet in studies. |
| about the legitimacy of sugar as a cause of their | | | | The exact cause of ADD is still unknown but we are |
| child's ADD symptoms. Recent studies have | | | | beginning to better understand what dietary |
| concluded that sugar does not in fact cause ADD | | | | components contribute to ADD and which can even |
| symptoms or hyperactivity alone in children, and even | | | | help improve symptoms. |
| though a diet high in sugar is not a healthy one, sugar | | | | |