{"id":1929,"date":"2014-10-29T13:20:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T13:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2014\/10\/hyperactive-kids-and-the-halloween-effect-whats-really-the-cause.html"},"modified":"2016-09-19T11:20:33","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T15:20:33","slug":"hyperactive-kids-and-the-halloween-effect-whats-really-the-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1929","title":{"rendered":"Hyperactive kids and the “Halloween Effect”: What’s really the cause?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Conventional Wisdom<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
This article was written with Dr. R<\/span><\/span>aquel Keledjian (who is awesome!). <\/span><\/i><\/span>

<\/span><\/span><\/span>With Halloween soon approaching, parents brace for the yearly \u201cHalloween Effect. This is the common belief that the sugary sweets and chocolates of Halloween cause children to bounce off the walls with hyperactivity. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
To compensate, parents often substitute these with \u201chealthy\u201d sugar-free gelatin, low-fat, sugar free yogurt, or low calorie fruit popsicles, which also happen to all come in a variety of neon-bright colors that kids can\u2019t help but notice. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Follow @willclower<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Unfortunately, conventional wisdom is mistaken. A whopping twelve double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have all <\/span>failed to show any effect<\/span><\/a> of sugar consumption on kids\u2019 behavior \u2013 either those with ADHD or those without.<\/span><\/span>

<\/span><\/span>But parents know how their kids get amped up after the Halloween haul. So if it isn\u2019t the sugar, what would it be? It turns out that those healthy alternatives of Halloween may contain a decidedly unhealthy trick hidden within the treat: the artificial food colors (AFCs).  <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span>A quick glance a sample of Halloween candy packaging reveals the kinds AFCs they contain. <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Kid\u2019s <\/span>Snacks<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
AFCs<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Yoplait: Light 90 calorie yogurt<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Red #40<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Gatorade: Fruit Punch<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Red #40<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
General Mills: Trix Cereal<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Yellow #6, blue #1<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Jello: Strawberry Flavor<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Red #40<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Popsicle: Cherry Pop<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Red #40<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Sunny Delight<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Yellow #5, and #6<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
M&Ms<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Blue #1, Yellow#6, Red#40, Yellow#5, blue#1<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Red Vines<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Red #40<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Hero Nutritionals: Yummy Bears Multi-vitamins<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Blue #1, Yellow#6, Red#40 <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
<\/div>\n
The safety of AFCs and other food additives is regulated by the FAO (Food and Agriculture and Organization)\/WHO (World Health Organization).  A total of seven certified food colors are approved for use in the U.S.: Brilliant Blue (Blue #1), indigotine (Blue #2), fast green (Green #3), tartrazine (yellow #5), sunset yellow (yellow #6), erythrosine (Red #3) and allura red (Red #40b).  Two other AFCs are approved for specific limited use: citrus red (Red #2) and Orange B.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
While these are designated by the FDA to be \u201cgenerally recognize as safe\u201d, they have also been linked to hyperactivity in children in <\/span>over 35 years<\/span><\/a> of research studies. <\/span><\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
In fact, an early pioneer was Dr. Benjamin Feingold, who proposed in 1973 that hyperactivity and learning problems were due to certain foods and food additives.  Based on his clinical observations, he concluded that his subjects were <\/span><\/span>sensitive to foods that contained natural salicylates, artificial colors and flavors<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
By providing a diet free of these substances, his small study group showed that 60-70% of the children exhibited improved behaviors. Further study was needed to replicate these results with larger groups. <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The most important recent work (<\/span><\/span>2004<\/span><\/a> <\/span>and <\/span><\/span>2007<\/span><\/a>) support Dr. Feingold\u2019s original work, directly linking AFCs with hyperactive behaviors in children. <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
One possible mechanism to explain how AFCs lead to behavioral changes is their ability to leach zinc from the body. Zinc is an essential mineral needed for brain function, and <\/span><\/span>low zinc levels are found in children with ADHD<\/span><\/a>. This might explain the multiple clinical studies showing that <\/span><\/span>zinc levels are decreased<\/span><\/a> in hyperactive children when given tartrazine (yellow #5) and sunset yellow (yellow #6).  In children who were already hyperactive, ingestion of these AFCs are also associated with <\/span><\/span>aggressive behavior and increased hyperactivity<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>

<\/span><\/span><\/span>Given the dramatic increase in AFC consumption over the past 60 years, this becomes a serious public health concern.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(<\/span><\/u>Neurotherapeutics. Jul 2012; 9(3): 599\u2013609.<\/a>)<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
This growing dataset inspired a petition to the FDA from the Center for Science in the Public Interest to review the evidence on AFCs and ADHD. However, despite these data the FDA concluded that further research was needed before making any statement at all. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
By contrast, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union <\/i><\/span><\/span>requested that the food manufacturers avoid these additives in favor of natural food colors and flavors<\/span><\/a>.  In this document, they also asked manufacturers to remove several AFCs from foods and beverages.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>While we wait on our food safety organizations to issue a statement, while we wait on the science to figure itself out, what\u2019s a busy parent to do with bags of children\u2019s Halloween candy brightened up with more AFCs each year? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Very simply, look for them in the ingredients list, and then choose something else. And, if the data are correct, doing this for your kids may result in less of the bouncing-off-the-walls Halloween effect this year.<\/span><\/span><\/span>
    <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
For more information: Click here to visit Will Clower’s website.<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Conventional Wisdom This article was written with Dr. Raquel Keledjian (who is awesome!). With Halloween soon approaching, parents brace for the yearly \u201cHalloween Effect. This is the common belief that the sugary … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494],"tags":[302,305,304,303,283],"class_list":["post-1929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-adhd","tag-candy","tag-dye","tag-halloween","tag-sugar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-v7","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2486,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2486","url_meta":{"origin":1929,"position":0},"title":"Halloween Help","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Woooooooooo. It's Halloween, but the only truly scary thing is the mountains of candy that Americans consume. I've got some tips here on my PodCast here.Don't be afraid to do what is RIGHT for your weight and health. This may mean going against some of your basic instincts that our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2484,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2484","url_meta":{"origin":1929,"position":1},"title":"Halloween Horrors For Health","author":"Will Clower","date":"November 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"You are not going to believe this article ... it's weird and gross and fascinating all at the same time. I blather on about it here on my iTunes podcast, but medical science is basically looking at various aspects of Halloween disgusting things ... maggots, vampire bats, parasites, leeches ...\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2677,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2677","url_meta":{"origin":1929,"position":2},"title":"‘Halloween diarrhea’: Medical Mystery Solved","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"This research looks at the Tricks that certain Treats can cause for us after Halloween.According to this report, patients with severe diarrhea and flatulence may need to consider a particular \"food\" source. The laxative effect of the sorbitol sweetener can be dangerous, particularly if these artificial sweeteners are taken in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2679,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2679","url_meta":{"origin":1929,"position":3},"title":"I've heard it ... you've\u2026","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 27, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I've heard it ... you've heard it. \"Don't pass out candy. It's bad for the kids!!\"Then you hear the response: \"But they won't eat it. Kids' will HATE the pencils, or toys, or whatever ... just give them the Jolly Ranchers!!\"This conversation happens every year at this time. So Yale\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2285,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2285","url_meta":{"origin":1929,"position":4},"title":"Radio Program Tomorrow 11:00am Eastern","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Halloween edition of our show is [shocking, I know] on Halloween!!We'll talk about tricks, treats, and our special guest is a director of the Action For Health Kids nationwide organization, started by Laura Bush and Surgeon General David Satcher.TIME: 11:00am to noon on Oct 31.PLACE:\u00a0Click Here to listen on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/TMwh2lkeMRI\/AAAAAAAACxY\/oK8bzu_pL9c\/s320\/Gasp.bmp","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1928,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1928","url_meta":{"origin":1929,"position":5},"title":"Ick Or Treat! Candy Corn: Why to avoid this.","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It says, \"Made with REAL HONEY\", so it must be good for you.I'm presenting Week 1 of our Not One Ounce Holiday Program today at noon and 3pm, and we're talking about the best candies to choose for Halloween.\u00a0Spoiler Alert! 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