Bread preservative linked to irritability in kids
23 August 2002
A food preservative in bread has been linked to irritability and inattention in children in a controlled crossover trial conducted in Darwin.
The study (Journal of Paediatric Child Health 2002; 38: 373-76) found that the additive calcium propionate (282) triggered worsening symptoms in half the children aged 4 to 12 years who were studied after an elimination diet.
Author Sue Dengate, a food intolerance counsellor, said she was alerted to calcium propionate's potential after parents reported worsening behaviour in their children every September, when bakeries in Darwin double the amount of preservative because of the impending wet season.
The study of 27 children found the behaviour of 52 per cent of them worsened - and 19 per cent improved - with calcium propionate challenge.
Royal Darwin Hospital head of paediatrics Professor David Brewster cautioned against attributing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to the preservative.
'However, we might need to reconsider the possibility that some children react adversely to preservatives in food and that it may result in changes in behaviour,' he said.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand spokesman Dr Michael Dack said the small proportion of people who were intolerant to additives could avoid them; however, the new study would be 'taken on board' and assessed by the regulator.
Last Reviewed: 20 August 2002
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