Could Hidden Food Allergies be Worsening ADHD in Children?
Increasing research involving children with ADHD is showing that some of these children are displaying marked improvement in their behavior and concentration with the elimination of certain foods from their diets. The studies are showing that these children are suffering from atypical food allergies.

These children do not necessarily present with a typical food allergy involving symptoms of hives, tingling throat and mouth, shortness of breath, swelling, or loss of consciousness. Often, in fact, their skin allergy tests and IgE blood tests can be normal or inconclusive.

However, a more recent blood test called IgG, which is a “delayed reaction” food allergy blood test can help determine if these children should be abstaining from certain foods. These delayed reactions to foods can take several hours to affect the children, and are sometimes referred to as hidden food allergies.

The main food culprits appear to be wheat, milk, eggs, chocolate, oranges and corn. This seems to be especially so for those children with ADHD who also suffer from migraines and arthritis.

It would appear that the brain could be affected by inflammatory reactions produced by the ingestion of certain foods in the digestive system. As the body detects the enemy food (allergen), it produces antibodies to fight them off. These antibodies flood the body with histamines, which activates the depletion of blood serum from the surrounding brain tissue. This results in the tiny blood capillaries which feed the brain having a diminished flow, causing the brain to lose its equilibrium. From a psychological guide, indicators of this include cognitive and attention dysfunction, and memory loss.

These types of food allergy sensitivities can take up to several hours to present themselves, so the use of a food diary can be helpful to monitor the intake of food and the resulting behavior. Over a period of a month or so, it may become apparent which foods are unbalancing your child.

If you suspect that your child’s ADHD is triggered by certain foods, and that they could have a hidden food allergy, why not visit this website for further helpful information and products?