Pesticides In Food Linked To ADHD In Kids

Levels of pesticides commonly encountered across the country in food as well as around the home are significantly increasing children's risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD, and could be causing an increase in the number of children living with the condition, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics."

Its mainly exposure through food. Diet is the driver," says pediatrician and public health expert Phil Landrigan, MD, professor and chair of the department of community and preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "For most people, diet is the predominant source. Its been shown that people who switch to an organic diet knock down the levels of pesticide by-products in their urine by 85 to 90 percent."

What it means: Canadian researchers used data collected from nearly 1,140 children participating in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including pesticide by-products found in urine. They found that in that group, 119 children met the criteria for ADHD. Children with substantially higher levels of a breakdown product of neurotoxic organophosphate pesticides were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD....

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