This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Critical Review and Results of a Controlled Study

Jeffrey A. Mattes, MD; Rachel Gittelman, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1981;38(6):714-718.

Abstract
• The "Feingold diet," which eliminates artificial food colorings, has been claimed to be beneficial to hyperactive children. Previous studies have yielded equivocal results. We sought to maximize the likelihood of demonstrating behavioral effects of artificial food colorings by (1) studying only children who were already on the Feingold diet and who were reported by their parents to respond markedly to artificial food colorings, (2) attempting to exclude placebo responders, and (3) administering high dosages of coloring. The design was a double-blind crossover with order randomized; 11 children maintained on the Feingold diet were challenged with food coloring and placebo (one each week). Evaluations by parents, teachers, and psychiatrists and psychological testing yielded no evidence of a food coloring effect.

Author Affiliations
From Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, Glen Oaks, NY (Dr Mattes); and the Department of Psychology, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York (Dr Gittelman). Dr Mattes is now with the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Bronx, NY.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Jan 22, 1981.

Read in part before the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, San Francisco, May 7, 1980.

Reprint requests to Veterans Administration Medical Center, 130 W Kingsbridge Rd, Bronx, NY 10468 (Dr Mattes).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The effects of a double blind, placebo controlled, artificial food colourings and benzoate preservative challenge on hyperactivity in a general population sample of preschool children
Bateman et al.
Arch. Dis. Child. 2004;89:506-511.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

"Inactive" Ingredients in Pharmaceutical Products: Update (Subject Review)
Committee on Drugs
Pediatrics 1997;99:268-278.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Reported Practices of Pediatric Residents in the Management of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Allen et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1990;144:1329-1333.
ABSTRACT  

A View of a Viewpoint: Nutritional Considerations
Clydesdale
J Learn Disabil 1984;17:450-452.
ABSTRACT  

Food additives: the controversy continues
Trites and Tryphonas
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 1983;3:43-47.
ABSTRACT  

The Feingold Diet: A Current Reappraisal
Mattes
J Learn Disabil 1983;16:319-323.
ABSTRACT  

Hyperactivity and Diet Treatment: A Meta-Analysis of the Feingold Hypothesis
Kavale and Forness
J Learn Disabil 1983;16:324-330.
ABSTRACT