Dear Dr. Schultz,
Since the research to which you refer in your article on ADHD and Diet is dated, I would suspect that the article is several years old. There is a considerable amount of new evidence showing that some food additives do, indeed, trigger ADHD symptoms in children. As a result the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote in February of this year (2008) that they may have been wrong to dismiss the many reports from parents of the effectiveness of diet, and that it was worth trying.
But my main motive for writing is to address your statement that "Proponents of the Feingold diet made dramatic claims that an additive-free diet would cure almost any child with learning, behavior and attention problems."
I worked with Dr. Feingold from the mid 1970s until his death in 1982 and have been working with the non-profit Feingold Association of the US since that time. I have copies of all of our materials and newsletters dating back to 1981 and I am not aware that the Association has ever made the extravagant claims you reference. While we cannot be responsible for what an individual may say, it has always been our position that there are many things that can trigger symptoms of ADHD, not just food additives. We cover this frequently in our literature and on our web site: www.feingold.org.
You are correct that some critics claim that the improvement seen was a placebo effect, but they neglect to notice that the later studies were placebo-controlled. It would be quite easy to test out this theory...just design a test where there are two groups of subjects and provide all of their food. Give the same food to both groups, but tell group one that they will be eating additive-free foods and tell the other group that they will be eating the same food they normally eat.
I find it curious that people who claim to be so concerned about following the scientific method can come up with an explanation that is sheer speculation.
Yes, the 1982 NIH conference said that a small number of children appeared to be affected by the additives, but they went on to say that the studies to that date had many limitations, especially that they dealt primarily with dyes and did not address the other additives that are removed by the Feingold diet. (By the way, we don't remove ALL additives, just those we have found to be the worst offenders.)
I testified at the 1982 conference and have the report issued by the scientific committee; I would be glad to send you a copy of it if you like. I can also provide abstracts of many studies that show the diet behavior link. Or you can see them at www.diet-studies.com Jane Hersey, Director
Feingold Assocition of the US