"Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder https ADHD https should be offered a special ADHD diet https to see if eliminating certain foods might reduce their symptoms Dutch researchers say. The diet studied known as the restricted elimination diet RED can work the researchers say because they believe ADHD symptoms https in some children might be affected by eating specific foods. I am of the opinion that every child deserves this diagnostic intervention researcher Lidy Pelsser PhD of the ADHD https Research Centre in Eindhoven the Netherlands tells WebMD. In the study published in The Lancet  of children who stuck with the diet did respond by having fewer symptoms. In five weeks of trying the diet Pelsser says parents will know if their child is responding or not if not they can move on to other treatments. Continue Reading Below you might like U.S. experts had some caveats saying that the results of the study which included  children should be repeated in other populations to see if the findings hold up. About ADHD ADHD affects about  to  of U.S. schoolaged children according to the American Psychiatric Association but other sources put the figures higher. The disorder is marked by inattention hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Some children with ADHD https also have oppositional defiant disorder https ODD in which they express hostility and rebelliousness toward authority figures. Experts arent sure of the cause of ADHD https but theorize that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. Specific foods or ingredients are thought by some to be linked to the symptoms. Besides dietary restriction medication https and behavior therapy are used to treat children with ADHD https In RED foods that are thought to trigger symptoms are eliminated the foods are reintroduced if they do not trigger symptoms. Positive Response to ADHD Diet Pelsser and colleagues assigned  children diagnosed with ADHD ages  to  either to five weeks of the ADHD diet https or to five weeks of following a healthy diet with instructions on how to do so. The ADHD diet was individualized for each child eliminating foods that might cause problems. The diet was restricted to certain foods including rice meat vegetables pears and water along with other foods such as potatoes fruits and wheat. In the ADHD diet group  of  children finished the first phase. In that group of  children  or  responded favorably by having fewer symptoms. Overall  of  or  responded favorably. Not only ADHD but also ODD symptoms characterized by stubbornness temper tantrums https and provocative behavior which were present in  of the children decreased significantly Pelsser tells WebMD. When the offending foods were reintroduced symptoms returned in those who had responded favorably the researcher says. While previous studies have found a link between foods and ADHD symptoms the researchers say the studies were typically small or only included children known to have a tendency to allergies https their study is more applicable to the population as a whole. The restricted diets must be supervised by experts Pelsser tells WebMD and five weeks is enough time to determine if it will work. If the diet works to reduce symptoms Pelsser says the children wont need medication. The children responding favorably to the RED do not meet the criteria for ADHD or ODD anymore. Consequently there is no need for medication. In a second phase of the study the researchers looked at the theory of whether eating foods that induce high levels of immunoglobulin G IgG antibodies is linked to symptoms of ADHD as some believe. Those who support this theory suggest blood https tests to evaluate IgG levels might be useful. After challenging the children with highIgG and lowIgG inducing foods the researchers found no association between IgG blood https levels and behavioral effects concluding that IgG blood tests to identify foods triggering ADHD symptoms is not advisable. Second Opinion The high response rate is very surprising to Eugene Arnold MD professor emeritus of psychiatry https at Ohio State Universitys Nisonger Center Columbus who reviewed the study findings for WebMD. Arnold says he is open to parents who want to try the ADHD diet provided it is supervised by experts who can help the parents. There is a risk of malnutrition if you dont pay attention to the balance of nutrients https But the results need to be duplicated in another study with different children he says to see if the results hold up. He cautions parents not to try out the diet for long periods. If there is no improvement in two to five weeks forget it Arnold says. The diet effort tends to work better in younger children ages  to  or so he says in part because parents have more control over the diets of younger children than those of older ones. If parents decide to give the ADHD diet a try their involvement is crucial agrees Jaswinder Ghuman MD associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Arizona who wrote a commentary to accompany the study. It is very difficult to carry out she says of the diet. It can be time consuming and more expensive than other diets experts say. She too is surprised by the high response rate to the ADHD diet. But she adds that these are interesting findings and it does present an alternative treatment option for the children."