A combination of artificial food colorings and sodium benzoate, a widely used preservative, worsened hyperactive behavior in children across two age groups, according to a study published in The Lancet in September 2007.
Researchers at Southampton University recruited 153 three-year-olds and 144 children aged eight or nine for a six-week double-blind trial. Each child received either plain fruit juice or a drink laced with commercial additives. The additive drink came in two formulations: Mix A, with a lower coloring concentration, and Mix B, with a higher dose. Both contained identical amounts of sodium benzoate.
Parents, teachers, and trained classroom observers rated each child's behavior before and after the trial. Mix A raised hyperactivity scores among the three-year-olds, while Mix B had no measurable effect on that age group. Both mixes produced clear effects in the older children. On average, children given the additive drinks moved roughly 10 percent closer to the clinical threshold for hyperactivity, according to lead author Jim Stevenson.
The researchers emphasized that food additives represent only one contributing factor. Removing them from a child's diet, they said, will not prevent all hyperactive disorders, given the range of other influences also at work.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2007, in its own words.