The studies that were reviewed in this article show that diet, especially consumption of artificial food coloring, produces statistically significant increases in ADHD symptoms in children.
Based on research, including Nigg's own review of the literature in 2012, synthetic food dyes do cause increased hyperactivity.
Conduct a quick test at home. For one week, avoid foods and drinks that contain U.S. certified colors Red #40, Blue #2, Yellow #5 (Tartrazine), Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow), as well as sodium benzoate.
Red dye 40 is a synthetic food dye made from petroleum. Research has shown that it is linked to certain ADHD symptoms, such as hyperactivity, and may also cause other neurobehavioral effects in children. People can check for red dye 40 on food labels if they wish to limit their intake.
Research, however, does not support the view that ADHD is caused by food additives or coloring. The research does show that these ingredients can make symptoms worse for some people affected by ADHD.
“Blue 1 has been related to skin irritations and even long bronchial constructions, especially when combined with other dyes,” Nazarian adds. “It is not an ingredient I would recommend in skincare.” Other side effects include non-permanent dying or tinting of the skin.
Blue hues are known for slowing down the heart rate, reducing respiratory rhythm, and encouraging calm and focus. In general, stick with muted or pastel shades, and avoid primary colors.
Colors like red and orange increase anxiety and stress, sometimes even fear. Red and orange are associated with an emergency that can elicit images of emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on.
For instance, red shades tend to trigger your stress response, making you more anxious, while lighter shades calm you down. If you are feeling overly stressed, you can use color as a stress management tool.
As you know, one trademark of ADHD is low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine — a chemical released by nerve cells into the brain. Due to this lack of dopamine, people with ADHD are "chemically wired" to seek more, says John Ratey, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
ADHD brains have low levels of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is linked arm-in-arm with dopamine. Dopamine is the thing that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure center. The ADHD brain has impaired activity in four functional regions of the brain.
Thayer's study shows that the ADHD group of children had larger and more frequent variations. Fathers with ADHD will pass this code discrepancy to offspring. Barkley explains that the heritability of ADHD runs around 80 percent. Genetics account for 80 percent of the components that define ADHD.
For more than 30 years, scientists have examined the relationship between food coloring and hyperactive behavior in children, but with mixed results. To date, no conclusive evidence has been found to show that food coloring causes ADHD.
ADHD adults are visual people. Color coding your environment has a positive effect on you noticing, remembering, organizing and generally being more effective both at work and at home.
Gray and blue are often considered depressive colors that may contribute to feelings of low mood.
Green – Quiet and restful, green is a soothing color that can invite harmony and diffuse anxiety. Blue – A highly peaceful color, blue can be especially helpful for stress management because it can encourage a powerful sense of calm. Purple – In many cultures, shades of violet represent strength, wisdom and peace.
Studies have shown that blue and green can create a calming atmosphere; orange and yellow can stimulate appetite; red and pink can inspire passion and energy; while purple can boost creativity and productivity.
Bright, bold and vibrant colors work best. However, any color that contrasts with your background will serve you well. Shades of yellow, orange, red, green, purple and blue are all excellent color choices to grab a user's attention. In some cases, black and white is the way to go.
Conclusions: The positive effect of white noise is explained by the phenomenon of stochastic resonance (SR), i.e., the phenomenon that moderate noise facilitates cognitive performance. The MBA model suggests that noise in the environment, introduces internal noise into the neural system through the perceptual system.
Through a proposed phenomenon called stochastic resonance, white noise may have the ability to improve symptoms in children with ADHD. Empirically, white noise therapy has been able to improve certain tasks affected by ADHD symptoms, including speech recognition and reading and writing speed.
In general, however, it is believed that food dyes are typically excreted from the body within 24-48 hours.
In addition, some studies clearly indicate that that the use of dyes, including artificial blue dyes, can have toxic and harmful effects.
The studies “suggest that synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral effects, such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and restlessness in sensitive children.”