Should my child avoid these food colours?
If your child is hyperactive, or has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there's some evidence to suggest that avoiding the six food colours may help.
But it's important to be aware that:
- hyperactivity can have many different causes, including genetics, and food colours are probably only a small part of the problem
- removing food colours from your child's diet won't necessarily lead to an improvement in their behaviour
- the link between food colours and hyperactivity isn't completely certain – more research is needed for confirm it
- you don't need to avoid all E numbers – there are hundreds of different E numbers and most aren't linked to hyperactivity
If you think your child's diet may be affecting their behaviour, it might help to keep a diary of what they eat and how their behaviour changes, so you can spot any patterns.
If you notice a possible link between food colours and their behaviour, you may want to see if avoiding these colours helps. But don't make drastic changes to your child's diet without getting medical advice first.
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