Childrens Mental Health – Feeding the Next Generation

Ground-Breaking National Conference 2003 - Executive Summary

Do E-numbers make our children antisociable and can food addictions cause tantrums? Do the wrong dietary fats affect IQ and could the health of the gut adversely affect the human brain? A national conference in London on 9th October 2003 has explored these issues and focussed on the latest research into the effects of our diet and environment on childhood behaviour and learning ability. Called “Childrens Mental Health – Feeding the Next Generation”, the event provided practical solutions by experienced clinicians on how to manage and, in many cases, prevent disorders such as ADHD, Dyslexia and the Autistic Spectrum. These conditions are difficult to diagnose as each individual child is different and there are so many interrelating and overlapping factors that ma- contribute to each case.

Dr Alex Richardson, Senior Research Fellow at Mansfield College and the Department of Physiology, University of Oxford spoke about childrens mental health, which fats can make you smart and which can make you stupid. She explained that children no longer consume enough of the vital omega-3 fats contained in oily fish crucial for brain development and function. Another common fall-out from a lack of essential fats is low immunity and allergies. If our intake of these complex omega-3 fats is low, then the body can cleverly build its own essential fats from simpler omega-3 fats found in some nuts, seeds and green vegetables. But this conversion process is ‘clobbered’ by our high intake of hydrogenated and saturated fats as found in processed convenience foods and snacks. The conversion process can also be affected by viral infections or a lack of nutrients such as zinc. The upshot of it all is that we are seeing a huge rise in behavioural and learning disorders in children as well as mental health problems in adults. Dr Richardson explained that the fatty acid EPA seems to have more importance in learning disorders than the fatty acid DHA. She also pointed out that whilst there are many fishoil supplements on the market, many are contaminated by chemicals or toxic metals (for more detailed information visit www.fabresearch.org.)

Dr Neil Ward, Senior Lecturer in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry at the University of Surrey, studies and compares the effects of toxic substances childrens mental health - on minds and bodies. Dr Ward has found that many hyperactive children have a unique chemical profile which is reflected in their hair samples. Deficiencies in selenium, zinc and chromium are commonplace and play an important role in behavioural problems. A dietary deficiency of zinc alone in certain individuals is known to lead to aggression and depression. Toxic elements, such as aluminium, cadmium and lead have long been associated with hyperactivity in children, as well as juvenile delinquency and violence. In addition, toxic metals block the utilisation of essential trace elements (such as calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc) required for the normal development of a child’s brain and immune system. The current medical approach to ADHD and other mental health problems involves taking drugs to suppress symptoms but does not explore biochemical causes

Drugs such as Ritalin may be necessary in some cases, but it was agreed that the nutritional approach should be the first line of therapy. Dr Brian McDonogh, a private GP from Crawley and an expert on the nutritional management of ADHD said that it was important to look at every other possibility before resorting to resorting to drugs with potentially harmful side-effects. Dr McDonogh was particularly worried about the use of unnecessary chemicals that permeate children’s foods. Artificial additives found in soft and diet drinks, cakes, confectionery, lollies, barbecue dips and a host of other foods and snacks do not introduce nutritional value to foods. “The only reason they are added”, he says, “is because they make foods visually more appealing and taste artificially more attractive.” The dyes sunset yellow (E110), tartrazine (E102), carmoisine (E122) and Ponceau 4R (E124), the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate (E621) and the preservative sodium benzoate (E211) are some of the worst offenders.

All speakers were concerned about the distortion of our food chain since the industrial revolution and associated our new way of life with diseases of excess as well as deficiencies. They emphasized that there was a growing need for us all to understand the basics of nutrition and how it affects adults and childrens mental health. Modern man is eating less of the foods to which he is genetically adapted and has become more sedentary, tending to displace quality lean protein with concentrated sugary foods, refined breakfast cereals, bread, pasta and chips. Yet, protein foods are essential building blocks for growth and development and provide the amino acids and minerals required for brain chemicals, digestion and liver detoxification. Excessive refined carbohydrates, on the other hand, are often high in calories and saturated fat and encourage obesity, cravings and bowel flora imbalance. The return to more traditional eating and cooking habits and the replacement of junk food with meals that are higher in the basic raw materials required by the body is the first step in managing children with behavioural problems. Care also needs to be taken in selecting enough quality protein and essential fats.

Added supplementation may be necessary because the quality of the fuel we put into our bodies each day may no longer be sufficient. Modern agricultural practises mean that the nutrient content of our foods is depleted, soil quality is poor, fruits and vegetables are harvested before they are ripe and stored for prolonged periods. Food is far from fresh by the time it is eaten. This is compounded by frantic lifestyles and hastily eaten snacks that supply excessive amounts of salt, sugar and too many empty calories.

Many children also suffer from enzyme deficiencies, malabsorption problems, food intolerances and gastrointestinal problems. The gut is the gateway to our body, the place where food is broken down into molecules, absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed to cells after waste products have been identified and eliminated. If this highly sophisticated system starts to malfunction, we see, feel, hear and smell the effects rather too well. However, is it possible for the gut to influence mental health? Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, who holds degrees in Medicine, Neurology and Human Nutrition believes there is a strong link between learning disabilities, the food and drink we consume and the condition of our digestive system. The results of her work have supported this.

Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride suggests removing cereals, dairy and refined items from the diet of those affected and gradually replacing it with fresh, unprocessed home-cooked food. The fresher and closer to the way nature made it, the better. The child is encouraged to drink fresh vegetable juices and eat plenty of fresh vegetables and soups along with fresh meat, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds.

Although diet plays a crucial role, extra help is usually required in the form of nutritional supplements such as probiotics. There are many different types of probiotics on the market and some may be much more effective than others.  “Friendly” micro-organisms promote optimal digestion and protect the GI tract from microbial and parasitic attack. Billions of bacteria, more than 500 species, inhabit the healthy human gut and form a vital part of our immune system - they make vitamins, produce ammunition against “unfriendly” organisms and keep our gut membranes in good condition.

Dr Campbell-McBride believes that autistic children develop imbalanced bacterial flora in which opportunistic microbes start to dominate. She says these produce toxic substances that are capable of infiltrating the blood stream via a “leaky gut” and quite literally poison the body. The degree of damage in autism may depend largely on the degree of imbalance and the individual’s ability to detoxify harmful substances. Brain chemistry is known to be particularly sensitive to toxins, with various nutritional deficiencies compounding the problem. Drugs and vaccines may well be suitable for healthy children but could add further insult to an immune system already in distress. The huge increase in autism is worrying and Dr Campbell-McBride suggests that all babies undergo proper immunological testing before they are vaccinated.

All the speakers pointed to the sheer volume of scientific research now supporting the importance of diet and nutrition saying that there is ample evidence that diet can have significant effects on mood and behaviour and must be taken seriously. Such is the complexity of possible mechanisms involved, that each case involving a learning or behavioural disorder should be examined on its own merits by a consultant in nutritional medicine. Yet a nutritional consultant is not currently a member of the multidisciplinary team that assesses these children. Long-term adverse effects on their emotional, social and academic development affects individuals, families and society at large.

The last speaker, Bernard Gesch, talked about diet, crime and antisocial behaviour. He said that we are seeing a consistent increase in crime and that our prisons are currently the fullest in Europe. He and his team of researchers conducted a well-designed, scientific trial at Oxford University, and found that simply by adding vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids to the diet of 231 young offenders at a maximum security institution in Aylesbury, there was a 26% reduction in offences.

Gesch confirmed that there have been major changes to diets in the last fifty years without real consideration for their impact on the human brain. Like any other part of the body, the brain requires adequate nourishment to function normally. Although the brain only makes up 2% of our body mass, it consumes around 20% of available energy and to use this energy, it needs a range of essential nutrients. If we don’t obtain enough of these from our diet, the regulation of brain neurotransmitters such as serotonin is potentially affected. This, in turn, might influence the choices we make and, crucially, the way we behave without us even knowing. Gesch said “Clinical studies suggest that nutrition is cheap, humane and highly effective at reducing anti-social behaviour. If reinstating healthier diets produces better results with offenders, then it’s worth investing in nutrition as this may ultimately mean less victims.”

This article was written in 2003 by the conference convenor Martina Watts, practising Nutritionist and health writer. She has a particular interest and experience in working with children suffering from digestive, behavioural and immune problems (for further details email: martina@thehealthbank.co.uk or visit www.thehealthbank.co.uk).

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