If you are aware that sugar can cause ADHD, then you may no longer buy sweets, pastries, commercial fruit drinks, and other sugary foods when you do the groceries.  Instead, you purchase sugar-free alternatives and artificial sweeteners. After all, it would be cruel to deprive your child of these sweet treats.  But did you know that sugar-free foods won’t necessarily help your child overcome ADHD? Sugar-free products contain substitutes that children with ADHD can be intolerant to. Below are two sugar-free ingredients that your child needs to avoid, and the surprising truth behind them.

Aspartame

Aspartame (sometimes labeled phenylalanine) is the chemical sweetener behind Equal, Nutrasweet, and other sugar alternatives.   Although it was approved safe for human consumption in the 1970s, this sweet poison is surrounded by controversy.  It is said to be connected to many serious diseases like lymphoma, brain lesions, and brain tumors; often, its side effects are misdiagnosed.  When exposed to extreme temperatures, aspartame can break down into toxic chemicals like formic acid and formaldehyde.  And if taken in high amounts, phenylalanine works like any neurotoxin – it will excite the neurons in the brain until they reach cellular death.

Aside from these toxic effects on the nervous system, aspartame can contribute to ADHD and other neurological conditions in another way.  Amino acids are the building block of neurotransmitters, and low levels of this substance can be the reason behind a neurotransmitter deficiency (biologically speaking, ADHD is caused by a deficiency in the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine).  The opposite can also be true – high levels of amino acids can lead to an overproduction of these neurotransmitters.  Aspartame can cause hyperactive symptoms because of an amino acid excess, especially if your child consumes large amounts of this substance in soft drinks and processed foods.

Sugar alcohols

Sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, isomalt, and other sugar alcohols occur naturally in some plants and fruits. They are often used as low-calorie sweeteners in gum, candy, and other foods because they aren’t easily digested. These sugars are said to be very helpful to those with diabetes because only parts of it get digested. As for the sugars that get absorbed, they enter the bloodstream slowly, avoiding the rise in blood sugar levels often caused by refined sugar.

Unfortunately, it is this very characteristic that makes sugar alcohols a problematic substance for children with ADHD.  The parts that do not get absorbed or digested goes through the intestinal tract and ferments, attracting water and causing dysbiosis – a condition where the gut flora in the intestine gets overwhelmed by harmful bacteria.  These bacteria feast on the undigested sugars and multiply as a result. When there is too much bad bacteria in the intestine, the gut flora cannot absorb nutrients properly, causing nutrient deficiencies, leaky gut syndrome, and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Additionally, the gastrointestinal tract is connected to the nervous system; any problems with the GI tract will influence neurological well-being.

Natural alternatives to refined sugar

Because of these hidden dangers, it’s best if you avoid sugar-free foods and use natural sweeteners when you cook or bake for your child. Some sweeteners you can use are honey, molasses, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup (the real one). Not only are these free from the additives known to trigger ADHD; they are also rich in vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients. Just make sure you inspect the label carefully for any additives or ingredients that shouldn’t be in there.

ADHD cannot be diagnosed by checking off a laundry list of symptoms because many disorders often cause similar problems. Celiac disease is one such overlooked disorder. You might have been aware that food intolerances and intestinal problems have a hand in causing ADHD symptoms. Celiac disease is a condition where a person is intolerant to the plant protein gluten, which is found in wheat and wheat products. When a child with celiac disease eats pizza, pasta, or any food with wheat in it, the immune system reacts by damaging the upper region of the small intestine. The initial damage only amounts to minor inflammation but if the child continues to eat foods with gluten, painful symptoms and impaired nutrient absorption can occur.

The latter effect is particularly significant. In our previous articles, we have shown how deficiencies in zinc, magnesium, calcium, and other nutrients can trigger or aggravate ADHD symptoms. Iron in particular has been found to be useful in suppressing ADHD symptoms, assuming that there is indeed an iron deficiency. Research shows that a gastro-intestinal system damaged by celiac disease can lead to an iron deficiency, which can complicate things for a child with ADHD.

Celiac disease has also been linked to other common psychological conditions like chronic depression. This could be due to the fact that the gastro-intestinal tract produces 90% of the body’s serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for mood control and feelings of happiness. Another possible reason is that a damaged gastro-intestinal tract might be unable to absorb adequate amounts of tryptophan, the amino acid precursor to serotonin. Tryptophan is found in high concentrations in meats like turkey.

Given that ADHD has so many potential causes, it’s likely that your child’s symptoms may be caused by an underlying factor like celiac disease. You can confirm your suspicions through a combination of lab tests. The first step to a celiac disease diagnosis are blood tests designed to measure levels of a certain auto-antibody. Unlike antibodies, which attack foreign substances and viruses in the body, auto-antibodies target the body’s own tissues. The auto-antibodies measured for celiac disease are immunoglobulin A, anti-endomysium antibodies, and anti-tissue transglutaminase. The blood work might also include a complete blood count to rule out anemia. Other tests you might want to include are nutrient element test to check for vitamin deficiencies and an intestinal permeability test with stool analysis.

The good news is that the effects of celiac disease can be avoided by a gluten-free diet. An Italian study on celiac patients with ADHD symptoms discovered that eliminating gluten for six months reduced the severity of ADHD symptoms. Although the prevalence of wheat products in the typical Western diet might be hard to implement the gluten-free diet on a child, ADHD cookbooks can help you find alternative ingredients for gluten-free cooking and baking.

In the UnRitalin Solution, we place a lot of importance on diet and proper nutrition as a key to overcoming ADHD. Research shows that artificial additives and certain other food substances can aggravate the trademark symptoms of ADHD, including inattention and hyperactive behavior. These foods cause adverse reactions that impact the brain wave patterns in specific areas of the brain, which in turn triggers the ADHD-like symptoms.

Although very few researchers have looked into the actual mechanisms by which food allergies affect ADHD symptoms, a small study done in 1997 was able to document the phenomenon well. Researchers from Australia’s Institute for Child Health Research investigated the changes in brainwave patterns when participants with ADHD ate foods they were allergic too. The results are very telling and support the theory that an intolerance to certain foods are responsible for ADHD-like behaviors.

Before moving on to the study’s main points, it might help to have a brief discussion on how ADHD is traditionally diagnosed. Since the three hallmark symptoms of ADHD are also symptoms of other disorders, simply checking them off a list is not enough. One other widely-used diagnostic tool is called the Conner’s Rating Scale. This numerical scale is usually filled up by parents or teachers to provide an objective measure of the ADHD symptoms. The higher the numerical score, the more intense the ADHD symptom is. Using a certain cut-off point, the clinician can determine if a child qualifies for ADHD. Aside from that, the symptoms should have been present for over six months in at least two different environments. Although other professionals use different tests to make the diagnosis, the Conner’s Rating Scale plays an important role in screening ADHD from other behavioral disorders.

In the Australian study, twelve children with known mild to moderate food allergies had their brain wave activation patterns mapped by a Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG). You might want to read our article on the QEEG test to understand the differences in the ADHD mind’s brain wave patterns. The QEEG scan was done twice – once after five days of consuming the allergenic food, and once after two weeks of avoiding these foods. In addition, the children were made to take the Conner’s Rating Scale twice – once after eating the allergenic foods, another after the two week period of avoiding the allergenic foods.

Below is a table of the children’s Conner scores. In the version of the scale used by the study, the cut-off score for ADHD is 15.

As you can see, ten of the participants had scores above the threshold for ADHD once allergenic foods were introduced to their diets. It seems that consuming foods that provoke allergies is enough to cause ADHD-like symptoms when they weren’t there before. The researchers also noted that the most common allergenic foods among the children were wheat, milk, food colorings, and beet sugar.

Aside from that, the QEEG scans showed the changes in sixteen different brain regions after eating the allergenic foods and after avoiding the allergenic foods. To help you understand the results, below is a table of the brain wave types and activity levels.

Of all the brain waves, the researchers noted that the beta-1brainwave was most affected by the food allergies. The frequency changes were highly concentrated in the temporal and right frontal regions of the brain – the brain regions most associated with ADHD.

Although the population of the study is very small, the findings pose interesting questions as to how many cases of ADHD are actually caused by food intolerances and can be treated with the right ADHD diet. Of course, food allergies are just one potential cause of ADHD, but studies like this one lend credibility to the effectiveness of eliminating gluten, casein, and food additives from a diet.

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