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A study by researchers(1) at the University of Southampton has shown evidence(2) of increased levels of hyperactivity(3) in young children consuming(4) mixtures(5) of some artificial food colours(6) and the preservative(7) sodium benzoate(8).

The possibility of food colours and preservatives affecting children’s behaviour(9) has long been an unresolved(10) question for parents. This significant(11) new research by a team from the University of Southampton’s Schools of Psychology(12) and Medicine provides a clear demonstration(13) that changes in behaviour can be detected(14) in three-year-old and eight-year-old children.

The research, which was funded by(15) a £0.75m grant(16) from the Food Standards Agency(17) and is published in The Lancet online(18) today (6 September), involved(19) studying levels of hyperactivity in 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight-year-olds living in the city of Southampton. The children were selected from the general population(20) to represent the full range of(21) behaviour, from normal through to hyperactive(22), and not for any previous(23) behavioural problems(24) or known sensitivities(25) to particular foods.

The children’s families were asked to put them on a diet(26) free from(27) the additives(28) used in the study. Over a six-week period the children were then given a drink each day which either contained one of two mixtures of food colours and benzoate preservative, or just fruit juice ? with all the drinks looking and tasting identical(29).

Hyperactivity is a behaviour indicated by(30) increased movement, impulsivity(31) and inattention(32). The results of the Southampton study show that when the children were given the drinks containing the test mixtures(33), in some cases their behaviour was significantly(34) more hyperactive. These results replicate(35) and extend(36) previous FSA-funded research by the team in Southampton.