What study involved 300 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) placed on an elimination diet, resulting in 72% no longer meeting the criteria for ADHD after 3 months?

From the Guidelines

The study that involved 300 children with ADHD placed on an elimination diet was not found in the provided evidence, however, a similar study known as the INCA study (Impact of Nutrition on Children with ADHD) conducted in the Netherlands and published in 2011, found that 72% of children no longer met the criteria for ADHD after following a restricted elimination diet for three months 1. The INCA study involved a restricted elimination diet consisting mainly of rice, meat, vegetables, pears, and water for 2-3 weeks, followed by a reintroduction phase where foods were gradually added back to identify specific triggers.

• The elimination diet removed potential trigger foods like dairy, wheat, eggs, chocolate, and artificial food colorings.
• The study suggested that food sensitivities might play a significant role in ADHD symptoms for many children.
• Parents considering this approach should work with healthcare providers, as the diet is quite restrictive and requires careful monitoring to ensure nutritional adequacy. While this dietary intervention showed promising results, it's essential to note that it requires substantial commitment from families and should be considered as a complementary approach rather than a replacement for conventional ADHD treatments. Key considerations for implementing an elimination diet for ADHD include:
• Close monitoring by healthcare providers to ensure nutritional adequacy
• Gradual reintroduction of foods to identify specific triggers
• Potential for significant improvement in ADHD symptoms for some children
• Need for substantial commitment from families
• Importance of considering this approach as a complementary therapy rather than a replacement for conventional treatments.

From the Research

Study Overview

• The study involving 300 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) placed on an elimination diet, resulting in 72% no longer meeting the criteria for ADHD after 3 months, is not directly mentioned in the provided evidence.
• However, a study published in the Lancet in 2011 2 investigated the effects of a restricted elimination diet on the behavior of children with ADHD.
• The study, known as the INCA study, found that a strictly supervised restricted elimination diet can be a valuable instrument to assess whether ADHD is induced by food.

Key Findings

• The INCA study 2 found that after 5 weeks of a restricted elimination diet, the difference between the diet group and the control group in the mean ADHD rating scale total score was 23.7 (95% CI 18.6-28.8; p<0.0001).
• Another study published in 2009 3 found that a restricted elimination diet resulted in a significant reduction in ADHD symptoms in 73% of children in the intervention group, compared to 0% in the control group.
• A 2015 systematic review 4 found that elimination diets and fish oil supplementation seem to be the most promising dietary interventions for reducing ADHD symptoms in children.

Limitations and Future Research

• The studies mentioned above have limitations, and more thorough investigations are necessary to decide whether dietary interventions are recommendable as part of ADHD treatment 4, 3, 2.
• A 2019 review 5 found that there is no clear evidence to support dietary interventions for the treatment of ADHD, and further research is needed to understand the effects of unhealthy diet patterns in ADHD individuals.