Free fatty acid supplementation produced small but significant reductions in ADHD symptoms even with probably blinded assessment s , although the clinical significance of these effects remains to be determined .
Artificial food color exclusion produced larger effects but often in individuals selected for food sensitivities .
OBJECTIVE Nonpharmacological treatments are available for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) , although their efficacy remains uncertain .
The authors undertook meta-analyses of the efficacy of dietary ( restricted elimination diets , artificial food color exclusions , and free fatty acid supplementation ) and psychological ( cognitive training , neurofeedback , and behavioral interventions ) ADHD treatments .
Does oligoantigenic diet influence hyperactive/conduct-disordered children — a controlled trial
A crossover ‘ placebo’-controlled , double-blind design was used to examine the effectiveness of an oligoantigenic diet in 49 children with hyperactive/disruptive behavior disorder . Effects of diet were compared with those yielded by stimulant medication ( methylpheni date ) . The study was conducted in an inpatient unit at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Central Institute of Mental Health , Mannheim .  Change in behavior was measured in st and ardized situations by trained raters , including behavior assessment when testing with CPT and PAT , during a free play situation , and at school . Twelve children ( 24 % ) showed significant behavioral improvement in two behavior ratings during diet relative to control diet conditions . Methylpheni date used in 36 children yielded more responders ( 44 % ) than diet . The amount of positive changes in behavior in those who received both treatments was about the same . Although only effective in a minority of children , dietary treatment can not be neglected as a possible access to treating hyperactive/disruptive children and merits further investigation
Free fatty acid supplementation produced small but significant reductions in ADHD symptoms even with probably blinded assessment s , although the clinical significance of these effects remains to be determined .
Artificial food color exclusion produced larger effects but often in individuals selected for food sensitivities .
OBJECTIVE Nonpharmacological treatments are available for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) , although their efficacy remains uncertain .
The authors undertook meta-analyses of the efficacy of dietary ( restricted elimination diets , artificial food color exclusions , and free fatty acid supplementation ) and psychological ( cognitive training , neurofeedback , and behavioral interventions ) ADHD treatments .