Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger

Treating ADHD

October 9, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Eliminating artificial food colors and the preservative sodium benzoate from children's diets significantly reduces hyperactivity, a finding supported by randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges. 
  • Exercise, like stimulant medications, increases dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain, offering an immediate, side-effect-free, and far-reaching therapeutic alternative for mitigating ADHD symptoms. 
  • Despite evidence suggesting harm, the FDA has been slow to ban many artificial food colors, though recent actions, such as California banning Red Dye Number 3 in food, indicate progress against these neurobehavioral risks. 

Segments

Introduction and Food Color History
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Artificial food colors were historically linked to behavioral disturbances by Ben Feingold nearly 50 years ago, initially dismissed by industry players.
  • Summary: The Nutrition Facts Podcast with Dr. Greger opened by addressing natural ways to improve health before focusing on ADHD treatment. Early research by Ben Feingold suggested artificial food colors caused behavioral disturbances, which the processed food industry attempted to discredit as a placebo effect. The segment sets the stage for examining the evidence regarding food additives and ADHD.
Evidence on Food Additives
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled challenges confirm that eliminating artificial colorings and sodium benzoate significantly reduces hyperactivity in preschoolers.
  • Summary: A 2004 food challenge demonstrated that removing artificial colorings and sodium benzoate reduced hyperactivity in preschoolers, which returned upon reintroduction. Subsequent studies in prestigious journals confirmed that food additives exacerbate hyperactive behaviors, impulsivity, and inattentiveness in young children. While older children might be less sensitive, meta-analyses show excluding artificial food colors significantly improves behavior in children already diagnosed with ADHD.
Regulatory Landscape and Dyes
Copied to clipboard!
(00:02:39)
  • Key Takeaway: The European Union mandates warning labels for artificial colors’ adverse effects on children’s attention, contrasting with the FDA’s less stringent regulation in the US.
  • Summary: The European Union requires warning labels regarding the potential adverse effects of artificial food colors on children’s activity and attention. Although the FDA banned certain red dyes due to cancer concerns, many artificial colors remain prevalent, with about 40% of grocery products marketed to children containing at least one. California’s Food Safety Act banned Red Dye Number 3 from food and drinks sold in the state, leading to a nationwide FDA ban scheduled for 2027 in food.
Exercise vs. Stimulant Medication
Copied to clipboard!
(00:04:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Exercise immediately increases dopamine and norepinephrine levels, offering a non-pharmacological treatment for ADHD symptoms that yields broad physical and mental advantages over stimulants.
  • Summary: Doctors prescribe millions of stimulant prescriptions annually for ADHD, which work by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine. Exercise achieves the same neurochemical effect almost immediately, unlike medications that take an hour to work. While medication effects can last longer, exercise has virtually no negative side effects and provides far-reaching physical, mental, and emotional benefits beyond symptom management.