Bread
preservative research
Update 2005
Bread preservative and the need for
change
Manufacturers
of
“Congratulations!”
wrote one dietitian. “The hard work has finally paid off! Consumer opinion
wouldn't have swayed in this direction if it weren't for consumer awareness,
which you have undoubtedly contributed to greatly”. Since I have spent the last
15 years campaigning against the use of this additive, which I regard as the
very worst of all additives, of course I am pleased, but there are wider
implications of this action.
What has
happened with the bread preservative is important because it shows that current
medical thinking about food additives is wrong. The prevailing scientific model
says that only a few children are affected by food additives so the greater
good of the community is served the continued use of these additives. However,
the move against the bread preservative shows that many more children are
affected than authorities admit, and that the greater good of the community
would be best served by the removal of harmful additives.
A paradigm shift
It also means
that the use of other harmful additives should be re-evaluated. A change in
scientific thinking like this is called a paradigm shift, and usually occurs
because of something other than scientific research. In the case of food
additives, it seems that the shift will be due to consumer demand.
When the
Food Intolerance Network used the Freedom of Information Act to ask our food
regulators (FSANZ) for scientific evidence to show that 282 is safe, they were
unable to provide any scientific studies at all. Consumers often say, ‘the
government wouldn’t allow it if it wasn’t safe’, but they are misled. As far as
children’s behaviour and learning goes, the government is not looking.
Meanwhile,
our kids are in crisis. Last year, a quarter of children who attended
outpatient services at Royal Children’s Hospital in
The bread
preservative is not the only additive to cause problems. Twenty years ago, when
more than 800 schools in
There are
many so many stories below regarding the effects of the bread preservative that
we have stopped adding new ones, although they are still pouring in. You can
see some of them in the Failsafe Newsletters, but the one that has shocked me
most is the story of a little boy whose mother ate 10 slices of preserved bread
a day during her pregnancy. By the time he was 18 months old, this boy was
eating 10 slices of preserved bread a day too. That’s a lot of bread for a
toddler to eat, but why not? Bread is supposed to be a healthy food. At that
time, this little boy was an extremely poor sleeper with uncontrollable behaviour
and up to ten seizures per day. When a friend mentioned the bread preservative
to his mother, she switched to preservative free bread, and within days, his
behaviour and sleeping improved. In the six months since then, he has had only
three seizures.
Food
authorities say it is up to consumers to prove that large numbers of children
are affected by the bread preservative. How many children’s lives have to be
ruined before it is too many? I would like to see our food authorities try prove
that calcium propionate is safe for young children to eat.
Update
2004
Recent research has
confirmed what some parents have been saying for years, that the bread preservative
calcium propionate, number 282, affects some children and adults. This
preservative, in various forms including propionic acid and cultured whey
powder, is found in an increasing range of Australian and
The official response
from the health ministers is that a certain number of people will have adverse
reactions to food additives. Their advice: read the labels and avoid additives
that cause you problems. My finding, published in a medical journal in 2002:
none of the parents in my bread study were aware that a preservative in bread
could affect children's health and behaviour, and none had realised that their
children were affected. How are parents supposed to know to avoid this
additive?
Now rat studies in
Collected below is
research, stories and facts about calcium propionates.
Sue Dengate with Isaac and
Brazilian rat studies: report,
2004
Propionic acid and its
salts including calcium propionate (the bread preservative, 282) were approved
as food additives by the World Health Organisation because propionic acid
occurs naturally in the human body and so was assumed to be safe at any dose.
At this stage it was not tested for its effects on children's behaviour and
learning ability. Doctors subsequently identified a condition now called
propionic acidemia, a metabolic defect which allows a buildup of propionic acid
in the body and can result developmental delay, neurological problems and
mental retardation in children.
More recently, Brazilian
researchers hoping to mimic the levels of propionates found in propionic
acidemia, gave propionic acid to young rats at levels not much greater than can
be eaten by a an Australian toddler who is a big eater of bread preserved to
the maximum. The rats showed deficits in their learning ability in a water maze
and changes in their brains which lasted into adulthood. Could the same thing
happen in our children? We don't know. The researchers also found that giving
rats ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) at the same time could prevent the adverse
effects. Could this work in young children? We don't know - but we should. It
would appear that this additive was not thoroughly researched before it was
released and quickly became widespread in a healthy staple which is frequently
consumed by young children. There is absolutely no evidence that this additive
is safe for the developing brains of young children in the doses currently
available in many commercial breads. See Brazilian study references below.
Brusque AM, Mello CF,
Buchanan DN et al. Effect of chemically induced propionic acidemia on
neurobehavioral development of rats. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 1999;64(3):529-34.
Wyse AT, Brusque AM,
Silva CG, Streck EL, Wajner M, Wannmacher CM. Inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase from
rat brain cortex by propionic acid. Neuroreport 1998;9(8):1719-21.
Brusque AM, Terracciano
ST, Fontella FU et al. Chronic administration of propionic acid reduces
ganglioside N-acetylneuraminic acid concentration in cerebellum of young rats.
J. Neurol. Sci. 1998;158(2):121-4.
Trindade VM, Brusque AM,
Raasch JR et al. Ganglioside alterations in the central nervous system of rats
chronically injected with methylmalonic and propionic acids. Metab. Brain. Dis.
2002;17(2):93-102.
Fontella FU, Pulrolnik
V, Gassen E et al. Propionic and L-methylmalonic acids induce oxidative stress
in brain of young rats. Neuroreport 2000;11(3):541-4.
Pettenuzzo LF, Schuck
PF, Fontella F et al. Ascorbic acid prevents cognitive deficits caused by
chronic administration of propionic acid to rats in the water maze. Pharmacol.
Biochem. Behav. 2002;73(3):623-9.
Media Release
August 2002
COMMON BREAD PRESERVATIVE FOUND TO AFFECT CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOUR
A
new
Reported
in the August issue of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, the study
tested the effects of calcium propionate (preservative 282) on 27
Principal
researcher Sue Dengate, who has written several best-selling books on food
additives and children's behaviour, said the
"Testing
for behavioural toxicity should be a part of all food additive safety
evaluation, but the Australian food regulator, Food Standards Australia New
Zealand, has yet to take this seriously," Ms Dengate said.
Ms
Dengate, a food intolerance counsellor, began the study with paediatrician Dr
Alan Ruben when food regulators ignored her reports about the effects of
calcium propionate.
The
controlled study started by putting children with behaviour problems on the
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital elimination diet, which avoided 50 harmful
additives as well as natural salicylates, amines and glutamates.
"The
results in this phase of testing were remarkable," said Dengate.
"Behaviour ratings for irritability, restlessness, inattention and sleep
disturbance dropped from the 95th percentile to the 31st
percentile showing just how badly some kids are affected by a range of
chemicals in our food."
"When
the kids ate disguised loaves of bread, half of them reacted to the bread
containing preservatives."
"This
is a real wake-up call for the food industry," said Dengate.
Nearly
all bread in
"If
your child is easily annoyed, demanding, argumentative, can't concentrate on
reading or homework, is easily distracted, restless, fidgety and can't sit
still, or has difficulty settling down to sleep, think food chemicals,"
said Dengate.
"The
reaction is more likely to be moodiness or 'short fuse' than hyperactivity.
Loud voice, lethargy, 'growing pains', stomach aches, headaches and bed-wetting
or urinary urgency were also reported."
"This
is an important public health issue. Effects of food colours on children's
behaviour and learning are well documented. Food colours are in processed foods,
which parents can choose to avoid, but this additive is in a healthy staple
eaten every day. Parents don't even know it is there."
"Food
regulators and manufacturers have failed us when it takes research funded by
community donation to investigate behavioural and learning effects of a common
preservative."
Further
information is available at www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
Wicking NT News
Today Tonight TV current affair story
Today Tonight video (if you have up-to-date reader)
Research
Abstract
Abstract
from Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (2002) 38(4), 373-376.
Controlled trial of cumulative
behavioural effects of a
common bread preservative
Objective: Many
anecdotes and one scientific report describe cumulative behavioural effects of
bread preservative on children.
Methodology: Twenty-seven
children, whose behaviour improved significantly on the Royal Prince Alfred
diet, which excludes food additives, natural salicylates, amines and
glutamates, were challenged with calcium propionate (preservative code 282) or
placebo through daily bread in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover
trial.
Results: Due
to four placebo responders, there was no significant difference by ANOVA of
weighted placebo and challenge Rowe Behaviour Rating Inventory means, but a
statistically significant difference existed in the proportion of children
whose behaviours 'worsened' with challenge (52%), compared to the proportion
whose behaviour 'improved' with challenge (19%), relative to placebo (95%
confidence intervals 14-60%).
Conclusions: Irritability,
restlessness, inattention and sleep disturbance in some children may be caused
by a preservative in healthy foods consumed daily. Minimising the
concentrations added to processed foods would reduce adverse reactions. Testing
for behavioural toxicity should be included in food additive safety evaluation.
Key words: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD); bread preservative; calcium propionate; children's behaviour; food
additives.
Factsheet on bread preservative 282
Reply to the
Australian Food and Grocery Council
Q. There was a letter in
our local paper from the Chief executive of Food and Grocery Council which was
very negative re your research. You should respond.
A. Dick Wells from the FGC appears to
have written to a number of papers. His story varies. Here are some of his
claims:
"The study was only
conducted on children who had previously been diagnosed as suffering from a
food allergy."
Wrong. None of the children
in the bread preservative study had been diagnosed with either food allergies
or intolerances. They were referred only on the basis of their behaviour which
fell within the top 15% of the population on rating scales measuring irritability
etc. Some of the parents in the study had noticed the effects of some foods,
some had not.
"… food allergies
affect less than 2 per cent of the Australian population." (NT News, 17/87/02, page 11)
It is true that food
allergies affect less than 2 per cent of the population, but reactions to food
additives are not allergies, they are intolerances. Someone must have told Dick
about this because by the time he wrote to the Brisbane Courier Mail (
There is absolutely no
evidence to show exactly how many Australians are affected by 282. Our study
showed more than half of children with behavioural problems in the top 15% of
the population were affected. Adults are also affected. So if we say half of
15%, that gives us 7.5% of all Australians, that is about one to two million.
"Of the 27 children
on the study, only 14 exhibited worse behaviour after eating bread containing
preservative."
This is positive spin from
a group of callous, self-interested businessmen. "Only" 14 out of 27
is more than half. How many people have to be affected before the food industry
will do anything? One million, five million?
"Calcium propionate
has been approved for use in bread by
So it has. But it wasn't
tested for its effects on children's behaviour or learning.
On the lighter side
'I notice our food
regulators have recently changed their name from ANZFA (Australia New Zealand
Food Authority) to FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand). Could this be
because when you type ANZFA the spell-checker says "unsafe"?' - by
email from Qld [it does too, I tried it.]
Some personal stories of the effects of bread preservative 282
These poured in after
publication of the bread preservative study.
The good news!!!
Brumby's hot bread shops
are organising a petition against the use of 282. For more details, see your local
Brumby's outlet, or www.brumbys.com.au.
There are two
Australia-wide chains selling preservative-free bread. The oils used in their
baking do not contain harmful antioxidants and other plain bread ingredients
are failsafe:
- Brumby's Bakeries, see http://www.brumbys.com.au/ or the white pages for an
outlet near you. In
- Bakers Delight, see http://bakersdelight.com.au or the white pages for an outlet near you.
[208] 282: Extreme
eczema from preservative 282
I realise you must be
inundated with people contacting you about your research but I would like to
personally acknowledge and thank you for your perseverance in bringing food
sensitivities to the attention of the medical profession.
My three-year-old son,
Jack, is a classic example of a reaction to preservative 282, except he also
gets telltale extreme eczema, usually on his stomach and folds of legs and
arms, which he scratches until it bleeds. It has been the latter symptoms that
has made the effects of 282 so easy to identify in the end, after three years
of spending thousands of dollars on medical specialists, allergy testing,
cortisone cream, antihistamines and every type of traditional and alternative
remedy available to mankind.
When my cousin introduced
me to your book it was an absolute godsend. I was at the point where on many
days I could have easily have put my son up for adoption. He was
uncontrollable, irrational, stubborn and virtually beside himself with
frustration and irritated skin.
My main frustration now is
getting people to accept that this is Jack's problem, as so many people 'boo
hoo' it as nonsense that it's related to food, and will often be found giving
him these foods regardless of what I say. The other irritant for Jack is
antioxidants used in cooking oils.
If you ever need a subject
to test these out on, Jack would be ideal due to the tangible nature of his
reaction.
Good luck with
communicating this to the community at large. - by email, from
[207] 282: " very
moody, stressed out and anxious " (September 2002)
I have always eaten a lot
of bread, mainly wholemeal bread, muffins and bagels. I would often eat 6
English muffins a day. I used to get very moody, stressed out and anxious, in
fact the people who I work with have asked me numerous times if everything is
ok. I used to get very angry quickly and then in a split second I would feel
like crying my eyes out. I also had an ongoing rash on my body, a feeling of
ants crawling over my skin, was very tired and couldn't get up in the morning.
I really didn't want to be
like this any more, so when I saw the previews on the telly about the bread
preservative I watched with much interest, and decided to stop eating bread.
Within a day I was feeling better, not irritable or anxious, and actually
feeling happy, a change to how I normally feel. After three days I felt really
different, better than I have for 6 or 7 years. Even my boss has said he's seen
a huge change in me. I used to be a school teacher. If the kids in my class
were feeling like I was, I can understand why they behaved the way they did. -
Tim from
[206] 282: A teenager
talks about 282
My eldest son (15) has
always been very calm, but even he notices an anger building up following the
ingestion of 282. Everyone puts the blame of "out of control
children" on to working mothers and their subsequent tiredness but what's
in our "healthy" meals? Here is our conversation last night,
verbatim:
T: "Mum, can you put
down "no 282" in our bread at school camp?"
M: "Do you find 282
affects you that badly?"
T: "HELL YEAH, I find
a huge almost uncontrollable anger building up inside me, for no reason, and I
feel I just want to punch something or someone. I don't, though, of
course."
M: "Is 282 worse than
MSG?"
T: "Yes, sort of. MSG
gives me a really flat, dead feeling along with the anger, but the effects of
MSG are easier to control."
This is from a young man
who poo poohed my suggestions a year ago, when I put the whole family on the
elimination diet because it was easier for us all to do it than just the younger
boys. He is now the mediator when conflicts arise. I, too, am affected badly by
282.- by email
"What is available
in supermarkets"
I have always tried to be
careful in regard to buying processed foods, eg cakes, biscuits, chips, lollies
but never thought that bread was a big issue even though there are many
varieties. Recently on a media program (Today Tonight) I became aware
that nearly all bread brands contain a preservative 282 (calcium propionate)
and the effects this may have on kids' behaviours. This again made me sit back
and look at what is available in supermarkets that we take for granted as being
healthy and safe to use.
Just standing in front of
the yoghurts I was overwhelmed with the number of flavours and colours added to
these products. Where do you start? I thought yoghurt was healthy, next came
the deli and sandwich meats with all their preservatives and colours, but even
walking through the fruit and vegetable aisles you start to wonder about
genetically modified foods and the pesticides used. Going shopping has become a
nightmare, I am turning everything over and an finding very little that has no
colours, flavours or preservatives in it. I have 3 children and each one has
their own problems, but I often wonder how much of this is brought on by what
they eat. - Kathleen from
[[204] 282: "282
one of main triggers for migraine"
I am very interested in
your research re calcium propionate. I thought that it may be of interest to
you that as a migraine sufferer, I have found that 282 is one of my main
triggers for a migraine attack. I have them very infrequently but very
severely. By keeping a food diary I have been virtually able to avoid them.
Calcium propionate has been off my list for at least five years. Thanks for drawing
the attention of the world to the effects of this preservative. - by email
[204b] 282:
Preservative-free bread in WA
We passed the bakery in
Mundaring (WA) this morning on our way to the supermarket and there was a hand
written sign in their window saying that none of their products have 282 in
them …[also] 'U Bake it' do a line of preservative free bread mixes. - by
email, WA
[203] 282:
Preservative-free bread in
Thank you for writing your
books, I have just about finished "Different kids" and can relate
very well to the book, as I'm sure many parents can. Last year I read "Fed
Up" and that spurred me on to look for a bakery in
[203b] 282: Serious
concerns about preservative 282
I am delighted to read the
results of this study, as I have had serious concerns about preservative 282
for several years. I have been interested in the Failsafe diet since I
discovered it a year ago through a web search.
My interest is based on two
reasons. Firstly, my son developed behaviour problems when he was 2 or 3 years
old. Although he was a bright child who did well at school, he would sometimes
have uncontrollable rages, often had headaches and felt sick and missed school.
At thirteen he became obsessed with drugs, (we lived in a beach suburb which
fostered this), refused school, and became sporadically psychotic. Although
this was blamed on drugs, I had always known that certain foods might cause his
problems. Testing for allergies did not reveal anything conclusive. After eight
years of trauma, which caused a deep family rift, during which time there were
regular attendances at courts for his uncontrollable behaviour, he became a
heavy wine drinker and was accidentally drowned in the sea at the age of 21.
Secondly, I developed a
very irritable bowel in my early forties. Trying a rotation diet showed that
commercial sliced bread caused severe constipation. Other foods, obtained from
the delicatessen, also caused overwhelming sleepiness, headaches and bouts of
stomach aches and malaise. It is now so bad that eating any commercial bread or
products such as commercial schnitzels, causes an attack which is characterised
by bowel cramps, pain, burning sensations in the gut, nausea, headache and
muscle spasms in my neck, back and legs. It usually takes three days of
fasting, or a rice diet, before the symptoms subside. My medical advisers would
never take seriously my claim that bread, cakes and pastries were associated
with the problem, although I underwent food challenges under the direction of a
respected dietician. Semolina and some home made bread does not cause me any
problems. The received view still seems to be that there is a psychiatric
component to irritable bowel syndrome, especially as it seems a majority of
women are diagnosed with this disorder! Consequently, there is little sympathy
for the sufferer, and no treatment other than antispasmodics and
anti-flatulence drugs.
I must say that my family
and friends still see my disorder as unacceptable, so that I often have to eat
things which I know will cause an attack I have been aware of the bicarb
antidote for many years, but now find that only a dose of Durolax laxative
taken the same day will head off the problem. I want you to know how grateful I
feel to you for your persistence in pursuing this research and for publishing
the findings so that further research may be undertaken to give your findings
scientific credence. - by email,
[202] 282: Which breads
?
Q. I saw the bread preservative
segment on Today Tonight. I checked the bread in my freezer and it did have
282. Do you have a list of which bread manufacturers make the bread without 282
or do I need to make my own bread? If you could please advise as I have 4
children under 5 years and desperately need some answers as to why all my
children have behaviour problems. - by email
A. See Failsafe factsheet
[201] 282: Effect on
adults
Q. I am curious as to whether the 282
mould inhibitor you have been looking at in children, is likely to have any
effect on adults? Am I more at risk because I have to take daily medication for
an illness? - by email, SA.
A. Calcium propionate (282) can affect
adults as well as children with a wide range of health, behaviour and learning
effects. Both illness and medication can increase intolerance to food
chemicals.
[200] 282: Diarrhoea and
stomach cramps
I just wanted to say thanks
for doing your study on 282. I am the mother of a four year old girl who has
seen many specialists and had heaps of tests in the last two years with no real
answers. Since she was 12 months old she had persistent diarrhoea, stomach
cramps, what we called "bottom burns" (very severe reddening and
blistering of her bottom from front to back which meant she couldn't wear
nappies or sit down) and mood swings (one minute she'd be on top of the world,
the next she would be screaming and crying and have no idea why).
After seeing a
"paediatrician" (I'm still not sure how he qualified) we put her on
an elimination diet (it was our idea, he said to let her go and see if she grew
out of it). We found her symptoms stopped when we removed all gluten containing
products from her diet. A coeliac test came back negative so we reintroduced it
to her diet and the symptoms started again. We eliminated wheat products and the
symptoms stopped again. We did allergy tests and when they came back negative
we were confused. I was sure that wheat was the problem, but apparently not.
The gastro registrar that she sees was confused too. We decided to put her back
on the full diet and then retest her for coeliac disease, but again it came
back negative. She no longer has the diarrhoea and bottom burns, but the cramps
and mood swings are still there.
Now we have a Plan B. I'm
going to try eliminating 282 from her diet and see what happens. My daughter
has been classified as gifted and does not have ADD, but her cramps and mood
swings very much affect her and the people around her. Again, thanks for
getting Today Tonight to show that story and I really hope it helps. I'm
also going out today to get a copy of Fed Up. Just goes to show you: as
a paediatric nurse I thought I had all the answers when it came to kids and I
really had no idea at all. At least the paediatrician had less of a clue than I
did!! He still tells me that because all the tests were normal there is nothing
wrong with her. He said it's my parenting that's the problem, not my daughter's
body, yet my two year old son is fine! - by email [Comment: it is possible
to have an intolerance to wheat which will not show up on allergy tests - or it
could be 282. Some of the children in the bread preservative study reported
stomach aches, and see stomach cramps letter above and below]
[199] 282: Upset stomach
I was very interested in
the Today Tonight segment. I have some real difficulties when I eat some
breads yet I can eat other breads without them upsetting my stomach. - by
email
[198] 282: Frequent flu,
behaviour and rash on bottom
Thank you Mrs Dengate, I
think you have answered my questions. I took my 4 year old daughter to a
naturopath a year ago because I was sick of doctors giving her antibiotics for
the flu which she got at least twice a year. One of the major suggestions was
that I take her off wheat, so I did for the past year and she hasn't had a flu
at all. We also noticed that her behaviour was much better and a rash that she
has had for most of her life, mostly around the bottom area, had disappeared.
During this wheat-free year
she did occasionally have some wheat and sometimes she would misbehave and
sometimes she wouldn't and we couldn't work it out. I am positive the calcium
propionate (282) is the cause. Over the past 2 months she has been eating wheat
again, full on, but the bread that we eat is preservative free, and she has
been a perfectly behaved child. I am not game to test her on a loaf of bread
which has this preservative in it, but no doubt in the future she will have
some at some time and we will be monitoring her behaviour. Thank you!!! - by
email.[Comment: calcium propionate has very recently been linked with
immunosuppression, which might explain the frequent flu.]
[197] 282: The bread
preservative and heart rhythm
Q. Thanks for interesting article on
the effects of bread preservative. I went to my heart specialist a couple of
weeks ago and told him I that when I eat bread, it makes the rhythm of my heart
go absolutely crazy. It misses one beat in four and makes me feel quite unwell.
He told me that was absolute nonsense, but he would get me to wear a 24 hour
heart monitor. So I did that and when they analysed the data, sure enough, 35
minutes after I ate four slices of bread, the graph went wild. But he still
doesn't believe that it was caused by bread. So I'm going to look for another
heart specialist who will listen to me. It was a real comfort to realise that
there is a doctor (Dr David Brewster) who does believe beyond the textbook.
Have you had any experience in 282 adversely affecting heart rhythm? I would be
really interested to know whether you have had any other reports of 282 having
other health side effects. - by email
A. See [116] Fast heart beat
(tachycardia) (August 2001)
I have suffered for years
from episodes of fast heart beat. It can be very strong and disturbing, and I
have ended up in hospital but it goes away after a few hours and they could
never find anything wrong. For a while I was getting it every afternoon.
Eventually I worked out it happened on the days I ate bread. A friend suggested
it might be the preservative in bread. When I eat Brumbys' bread I have no
problems, but when I ate some preserved bread without thinking at my mother's
place, I had another episode. - NT
[196] 282: How safe is
safe?
Q. Calcium propionate and related
preservatives belong to the GRAS list of chemicals, "Generally Recognised
as Safe". The public has been assured for decades that the safety of these
chemicals is conclusively proven. If indeed propionates are found to be unsafe,
what assurance do we have of the safety of other food-additive chemicals on the
GRAS list? - email,
A. Additives are never tested for
their behavioural toxicity, that is, their effects on children's behaviour or
learning. There are no assurances regarding behavioural safety of any
additives. There are 50 "safe" additives that have been associated
with behaviour problems, see list on the website.
[195] 282: Craving bread
Q. You mentioned the additive 282 in
bread causes behavioural problems in children. What about adults? I only
started eating 8-10 slices of bread a day in June. It started out with 4 slices
of toast for breakfast. Two of the slices were for my 2 year old, but when she
didn't eat hers, I ended up eating all 4 pieces. I started eating 1 sandwich
for lunch but was craving more so I have been eating 2 sandwiches now.
Sometimes at dinner we have toasted sandwiches. I'm hoping it is the bread that
has been making me feel so hateful and easily annoyed. I never used to be set
off so easily. Now it seems that I can't even talk to my husband without
getting upset and he is probably one of the nicest, easiest-going husbands
around. I'm going to go off bread with 282 in it and see what happens. I'll let
you know in 3 weeks if I'm feeling more normal. Please let me know if you have
heard this happening to adults ?
A. One of the mothers in the bread
study reported similar effects and there have been others. A number of people have
reported the same kind of cravings - gradually eating more and more preserved
bread. The bread preservative is not the only food chemical which can cause
these symptoms but if it does affect you, you should feel better within days of
avoiding it.
[194] 282: Worst
additive
I believe that 282 is the
worst food additive. It is hidden in a healthy food (bread and crumpets) and
most people don't know about the problems it causes in children. Doctors don't
know about it, so therefore it doesn't cause a problem (yeah right!!). It turns
good kids into screaming, tantrum throwing, horrible children with no idea why.
That's why I hate 282 more than all other additives. I don't like the others
much either!! - this is an entry in the Worst Additive competition, winners
to be announced in the next newsletter, out soon
[193] 282: More trials ?
Q. I have a son with ADHD,
behavioural problems and a learning disability and another with a learning
disability. I would like more information about the brands of bread/bread mixes
that are free from the calcium propionate (282). Are you going to run a trial
in
A. Sorry, there are no future trials
planned, although many parents have volunteered. You don't need to take part in
a study to trial the elimination diet. The bread preservative is not the only
food chemical which can cause problems. Ask the phone contact in your area (see
website)s on the website or email me for the name of a failsafe-friendly
dietitian who will supervise this diet for you.
Q. I decided to try removing the
additive 282 from my families' diet to see if the behaviour of my children
would improve. So far they appear to have only be behaving worse. Have you
heard of this happening before?
A. There are at least three
possibilities. First, it could be withdrawal symptoms. Food additives are
addictive. When you eliminate them, you can expect withdrawals which usually
only last two days sometime in the first two weeks. Second, it could be that
some other food chemicals - including natural ones like salicylates in fruit
juice - are affecting your children and you have unknowingly introduced more of
those at the same time. Third, are you sure the bread you have switched to is
preservative-free? There are numerous instances of mislabelling or
misinformation. If buying unlabelled bread, insist on seeing the label on the
premix. If they won't show you the premix label, don't buy it. If buying
labelled bread in a supermarket, ask to see the premix label for an instore
bakery (although this does not guarantee the baker has used the correct premix,
and there have been problems with that too). If the bread comes from out of
store, ask which bakery, phone that bakery and ask about 282. There are many
instances of wrongly labelled out-of-store bread. Brumby's is very safe - they
do not have 282 in any of their breads.
Q. I asked at our local bakery whether
they had preservative and they swore they didn't, but my sons and I reacted to
it.
A. Many hot bread shop attendants will
say there is no preservative in their bread because they don't add any and it
isn't always listed as preservative. It is often listed as mould inhibitor
(282). You need to see the premix label with your own eyes.
[192] 282: Hateful and
easily annoyed (September 2002)
You mentioned the additive
282 in bread causes behavioral problems in children. What about adults? I only
started eating 8-10 slices of bread a day in June. It started out with 4 slices
of toast for breakfast. Two of the slices were for my 2 year old, but when she
didn't eat hers, I ended up eating all 4 pieces. I started eating 1 sandwich
for lunch but was craving more so I have been eating 2 sandwiches now.
Sometimes at dinner we have toasted sandwiches. I'm hoping it is the bread that
has been making me feel so hateful and easily annoyed. I never used to be set
off so easily. Now it seems that I can't even talk to my husband without
getting upset and he is probably one of the nicest, easiest-going husbands
around. I'm going to go off bread with 282 in it and see what happens. I'll let
you know in 3 weeks if I'm feeling more normal.
Two weeks later: After the first couple of days I
started feeling less uptight. By the end of the first week I was feeling great.
Then we went on a trip over this last weekend. I'm not sure if it was some
toast I had both mornings where we stayed but the last few days I have been
feeling all uptight again. We also stopped at McDonalds for breakfast on the
way home yesterday and I'm not sure if there is 282 in the muffins. Now that
I'm back home I will not be buying bread with 282 ever again. - email
[184] 282: "A
modern Rachel Carson" (September 2002)
Congratulations on the
publication of your research on 282! I couldn't help but remark to my wife that
Sue Dengate is probably a modern Rachel Carson. Her book, "The Silent
Spring" about the consequences of using DDT, changed the way the world looks
at environmental chemicals. Your books and untiring effort are starting to
produce, throughout
[183] 282: "Many
families in our district" (September 2002)
Congratulations on your
fantastic work with the bread preservative research and media presentation. It
certainly has a huge amount of people interested in our local towns. Many
families in our district have tried avoiding 282 as a result and have had
fantastic results, with much happier, easy-going kids. Our local school tuck
shop is even considering switching to preservative free bread which I am sure
will make a huge difference in the school as it is known to be a particularly
bad school with very high teacher assault rate -both verbal and physical - and
terrible bullying issues. I have also given their committee a copy of your tuck
shop paper - they were very grateful for the info. - email, WA
[182] 282:
"wonderful changes" (September 2002)
My son was experiencing
behavioural and learning problems. Through diet (eliminating 282, other
additives and some salicylates) I have seen some wonderful changes in him,
especially in his sleeping. For the first time in his five years of life, he is
sleeping 12-14 hours a day. - email, WA
[181] 282: "Now I
have a completely different child" (September 2002)
I was extremely interested
in the story of bread and ADHD on Today Tonight. I do not have an ADHD
child however I used to have a child that could be quite erratic sometimes
(like they all are at 5). He is dairy free and I have put him on
preservative free bread over the last 2 weeks. Now I have a completely
different child! No more tummy aches (used to occur every couple of nights) and
very balanced behaviour. - email
[180] 282: "Already
noticing a difference" (September 2002)
My jaw dropped to the
ground after seeing your show on Today Tonight and thinking "that's
my son!!" I thought I had tried everything to work out what was wrong with
my son as a baby - he is 4 now. He wouldn't sleep. I was lucky to get 15
minutes sleep out of him day or night - doctors were saying it was colic, no
remedies would help - nothing would work - he just constantly screamed and
screamed and screamed. I thought I was going mad. It wasn't until I weaned him
off breast milk that he started to calm down a bit - but he is still difficult
and hard to live with. My other two children are not like this at all.
I could never come to any
conclusions and neither could anybody else. I noticed recently after I ate
certain foods, I would feel tired and have to lie down and in two incidents
recently I could not keep my eyes open and had to immediately lie down and
sleep. I thought this was to do with fats (margarine etc).
But after seeing the show
it is like the light has dawned. It has been one week now and we have been
buying preservative free bread - and I am already noticing a slight difference
in my son. I intend to eliminate other preservatives and get to the crux of it
all. Thank you and I feel that I am at the beginning of the trek to a new and
improved life.
[223] 282: Taken off
medication for ADHD (October 2002)
A few weeks ago, I saw Today
Tonight's program regarding preservative 282. Since taking that
preservative out of my children's diet, I have seen remarkable changes
especially to one of my boys diagnosed with ADHD.
We have already taken him
off dexamphetamine.
I have written to Today
Tonight to hopefully get a follow up program as the greatest problem is
McDonalds having 282 in their buns and muffins, which are provided by
Buttercup. Let hope we can get somewhere as thousands of children in Australia
are obviously affected and it's mind boggling to think of the millions of kids
affected all over the world.
By all means use my e-mail
and name on your website. If it helps one child, it would be worth it. -
Peter Thomas, by email
[222] 282: Saved my
son's future (October 2002)
I am now on the 2nd day of
my 2 1/2 yr old not having commercial bread and I now have my angel back. Thank
you, you have saved my sanity and my son's future - by email
[221] 282: Where are the
bread preservative doses highest? (October 2002)
Q. Thank you for creating the
awareness about propionates. According to a FSANZ spokesperson, levels depend
on climate, meaning that
A. In theory, it would be logical for
Half of all samples tested
contained maximum amounts of calcium propionate (282) in a Today Tonight
survey of
Brand Calcium
propionate (282) (Maximum permitted is 2.4 g/kg)
White sliced
Tip Top Swiss Maid 2.4
Generic Woolies 2.4
Generic Coles (Savings) 2.4
Generic Coles (Farmland) 0.5
Buttercup Sandwich 0.3
Frewville White Sliced none detected
Wholemeal
Tip Top 2.3
Buttercup none detected
Calcium propionate
analysis
All comply with Food
Standards Code of no more than 2.4 g/kg. GM Brown, Chemist. Food Laboratories
(Aust) Channel 7/s Today Tonight, April 1999.
Q. Where is the evidence
that whey powder is a natural form of calcium propionate (282)?
A. Bonita Glatz, professor of food
science at
[220] 282: Checking
ingredients (October 2002)
We've been on the diet for
a year. Something I've noticed in the last month - more and more people are
checking the ingredients on the packets in the supermarket. Thanks again for all
your persistence with the food industry. - by email
Q. Do you have any suggestions about
which brands of bread are preservative-free and/or how I could obtain
preservative-free bread in the northern suburbs of
A. See Factsheet: Where to buy safe bread, frequently updated as new reports
of preservative-free bread come in.
[219] 282: No need for
breadmaker (October 2002)
We are doing the failsafe
diet with my son, aged six. The difference has been dramatic. His comprehension
and reading skills have improved greatly since we started firstly additive and
preservative free then started salicylate, amine and MSG free. We make our own
bread. Finding that Brumby's are preservative free means that I don't need to
take my breadmaker on holiday with us. Wow, a break all round!
Knowing what I am going
through, and being able to read others' experiences has been life saving for me
as a Mum. I very much appreciate what you have done with your web site. -
reader Qld
[218] 282: no more
"long-life" bread for us (October 2002)
Since we started using only
Brumby's bread my girls are quite livable. We have fruit and vegetables, but
steer clear of juices, soft drinks, crisps and sweets. Most of our food is home
cooked from scratch so that I know what is used, and one girl is dairy-free. We
haven't gone back to 'long-life' bread because Brumby's is so much tastier
anyway.
[224] "After four
weeks, he was able to go without medication altogether" (October 2002)
It's been 7 weeks now since
we switched to Brumby's bread. Within days, my 10 year old ADHD son started
improving and we halved his dose of dexamphetamine medication. After four weeks
on preservative free bread, he was able to go without medication altogether.
You've no idea how much
this child has changed. It's huge. I no longer get calls from school, he's
bringing home merit awards, he entered himself in a maths competition, studied
for it and won the first round . He does his homework without being asked. Half
the time he goes to bed and is sound asleep before we say anything. Before, we
used to get excited if he got to sleep by
My older son has changed
too. He is a very calm and loving child but he used to be so forgetful - like
he was in another world. He would get very frustrated at forgetting things and
sometimes he would snap. Now he remembers everything the first time.
We've seen improvements in
the whole family - all five of us - except for the last two weeks, when we on
holidays and we couldn't get Brumby's bread. We bought a bread labelled
"no preservatives" but we all got worse. Then someone told me about
whey powder. When I checked the label, it had whey powder in it.
My husband and I have
noticed we have so much more energy and are less moody on preservative-free
bread. With 282, I'm so tired all the time, I can't hold a conversation without
losing people, my handwriting is terrible, I write some of my letters
backwards, and I've even reversed phone numbers (02 instead of 20). This is
really important in my job.
Three of us (me and two of
the kids) are asthmatics. On the Brumbys bread we've all been asthma free and
medication free for 3 weeks. That's a long time for us.
I'm angry. They think
because they put a number on the label, they can put anything they like in our
food. But we don't know what it is or what it can do to us. I don't want my
child medicated if there's another way. - Anne-Marie Paterick,
WARNING: bread mislabelling in a major
supermarket
You might like to know that
bread [from one of the biggest supermarket chains] that I thought was
preservative-free has had preservatives all along. I spoke to a guy in the
bread section and he put me onto a guy at the bakery where they get the bread
from. It turns out the bread has always had preservatives 281 and 282 in it,
but the supermarket put the packaging on it without listing 281 and 282. I let
them know that it wasn't good enough. - reader,
Extract from an email
about chest "electricity"
"…a couple of years
ago I started noticing that about half an hour after having a sandwich
(non-white bread) for lunch, I would get this feeling of
"electricity" in my chest. I could also feel my pulse throbbing in my
neck and ears, however, not at increased speed. I have tried yeast free bread
but to no avail. The funny thing though is, if I eat a piece of Danish pastry,
nothing. I get it from pumpernickel bread as well. When I was visiting home (
Saved my son's future
I am now on the 2nd day of
my 2 1/2 yr old not having commercial bread and I now have my angel back. Thank
you, you have saved my sanity and my son's future - by email
Reversals
My five year old daughter
has always had messy writing, all over the place and half her letters
backwards. We switched to Brumby's bread three weeks ago. Since then, her
writing has changed completely. It is neatly aligned and formed, and she hasn't
done a single reversal. I'm a teacher. This must have implications for other
students in our schools. [Examples of this work will be displayed on the
website soon]. - teacher, NT
The following
stories about the bread preservative were collected
BEFORE the
scientific study was released:
[139] 282: Bread
preservative-induced ADHD
I have felt compelled to
write to you for some time now to let you know how successful Failsafe foods
have been in our home. Our daughter, Courtney, now aged 7, was diagnosed with
ADHD at the age of 5. I was not convinced that the process of this diagnosis
was exactly scientific so I decided to do some reading.
I read "Different
Kids" and embarked on the elimination diet with the help of a dietician.
We had tremendous results. Courtney's teachers were openly amazed at the change
in her behaviour. With their support we started the challenges - no noticeable
reaction to salicylates or amines, but a very strong reaction to the bread
preservative (282) which gradually built up over a 5 day period. Once the
challenge was stopped, it took 2 weeks for withdrawal. Courtney's behaviour was
extremely aggressive and impulsive and withdrawal resulted in lethargy and
stomach aches. We have not been able to do any further challenges as Courtney
was jeopardising the very fragile friendships she had begun to make. We will
need to wait for the Christmas holidays before proceeding any further.
I have only recently read
"Fed Up" and I was amazed to learn just how many children react to
282. Our dietician was surprised at our results. I am now a bit of a campaigner
against food additives and recommend your books to anyone willing to listen!
Our heartfelt thanks to you for helping us rediscover the lovely little girl we
knew as a baby without the need for medication. - Heather - by email
[095] 282: Itchy hives
I'm letting you know how I
got on with the bread preservative. I did get a reaction but not as bad as the
amine test. Enough though to avoid eating it unless there is no other option.
By the way, my reaction is always itchy hives. - reader, email
[058] 282: "An
extreme difference in behaviour"
I am currently reading your
amazing book, Fed Up. I must commend you on a job extremely well done. I
honestly never realized that there could be such an emphasis on the food we eat
contributing to a range variety of illnesses and behavioural problems. As a
mother of two - a girl 6yo and a boy 3yo - I have noticed an extreme difference
in the behaviour of my son just by changing the bread which we eat to not
include preservative 282. I am sure by the end of your book and after
implementing the Elimination Diet there will be many changes - all for the
better.
Thanks again for making me
more aware and for your great recipes - they are a treat for the whole family.-
reader, email
[031] 282: Results of
bread preservative (282) challenge
You said you were
interested to hear how our challenges went. Well, what can I say - they weren't
fun times.
We challenged nitrates and
amines and yes, my daughter does become irritable a day or two after eating
foods containing these chemicals. Her mood only lasts around 24 - 48 hours and
so this isn't too bad. I can tolerate this but as for the 282 bread challenge,
I never want to see another slice of bread or crumpet or anything else that
contains this preservative.
I felt cruel doing this
challenge but as you say, we do need to know if she reacts to this
preservative. I could see her mood slowly changing by the fifth day on the
challenge and from then on it only got worse.
My food diary reads:
day 5 - cries easily
day 6 - cries easily,
slightly cranky
day 7 - cries easily, sour
faced (stopped challenge)
day 8 - angry, irritable,
fighting with us and sibling
day 9 - foul mood
day 10 - terrible mood,
irritable, cranky, easily angered
day 11 - mood still bad but
improving
day 12 - bad mood,
irritable, angry, stirring siblings
day 13 - irritability
improving; still fires up but not as frequently
day 14 - mood much more
pleasant
day 15 - pleasant child
The one good thing to come
from this challenge was that it opened my husband's eyes up and he has now
started reading labels and watches carefully what our children eat.- mother
of two
[008] Simon's story:
extremely active exploder to model student (March 1999)
Part one (after four days on failsafe
foods)
"Our 4 year old son
Simon is an extremely active child that we have suspected of food intolerances
for a long time. I had a miserable childhood, labelled as a "Trying
Child" at five years old and spent most of my school life outside the
teachers office. When I was 11 my parents put me on a preservative-free diet
which did wonders, but was very difficult as 20 years ago no food was labelled.
Simon is extremely volatile
at home and little things set him off, for example a rollerblade through the
plaster in the wall because he could not get the knee pad done up properly. He
is a perfect angel when things are going his way, but explodes when he is challenged
or things do not turn out how he wants. We have always been proud of his
"mature palate" and his weekly diet would include foods like pesto,
tuna, anchovies, olives, salami and parmesan cheese. He generally melts down in
the afternoon at
For four days we have been
in heaven. Simon has done things that were just never part of his personality
(washed his hair, flushed the toilet, picked up toys) and already he is much
more communicative, following me around the house just chatting. He has been
challenged by things not going his way a few times and had a couple of
tantrums, but they are less severe and over very quickly.
The best thing is that I
have been eating the foods he eats and I feel so much calmer and able to deal
with him ... My husband and I consider we are reasonably intelligent and
rational people but we have been at a complete loss about our son's behaviour.
Part two (six months
later): Simon is at
school now and has settled really well. We went to see a behavioural
paediatrician before school started and he stressed that these behavioural
issues cannot usually be solely dealt with by diet ... but he was very
impressed with our details about Simon's change in behaviour and his diet,
supported by testimonials from the day care centre.
We have had our first
parent teacher interview at the school and we went along all defensive and
ready to hear tales of mass destruction in the class room and were overjoyed to
hear the teacher describe Simon as the "Model Student", courteous,
hard working, able to concentrate. We were so overwhelmed that we did not even
find out if he is intelligent or at the bottom of the class, because, quite
frankly we do not care!!!! As long as he can sit still ... he still is very
excitable in the playground, but not aggressive.
The next week he was
awarded a "Special Effort Award" for "Excellent Cooperation in
the Classroom", and had to go to the front of Assembly to receive it, and
all this from a boy who six months ago we did not think was going to cope.
We are still identifying
things that really affect him and we do not touch olives, cheese, tuna, meat
pies and soy sauce now. We have had a couple of incidents with sausages and
sausage rolls which have resulted in snitchy behaviour and bed wetting ...
We have been really pleased
with the response from the school. They do not have a tuck shop and we have
written to Simon's teacher about food sharing. There have been two birthday
celebrations and on both occasions the parents have contacted me about what
party food Simon can have, so the whole class has gotten sponge cake and
lemonade icy poles.
The child care centre has
recommended your book Fed Up to a number of families that they feel
might need to address their children's behaviour through diet. They also have a
low to moderate food chemical diet for babies room based on the Friendly
Food book from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit. They do not
eliminate everything but are aware of not giving multiple serves of
"high" salicylate fruits to the children and the menu is very low in
amines. Again we have been very impressed with their help.
Thank you for your help, we
have another appointment with the paediatrician next week to follow up Simon's
progress at school. He was going to contact the school and work through some
management strategies for Simon if the wheels had fallen off when he started school.
Now it seems as though his unmanageable behaviour was a bad dream and that it
was a completely different child to the reasonable, mostly rational and
adorable 5 year old that we now have.
Part three
Although Simon was not a
"basket case" before Failsafe foods, everyone we know has commented
on his behaviour improvement, even though some did not think it was an issue
previously and it was not an issue for us every single day. His change in general
demeanour has made a HUGE difference to our lives, just the ability to
communicate daily without the general crankiness has made us a much happier
family. I think that many people do not realise what a difference it makes just
not to have to battle over every issue and every point with someone who often
realises they are being very unreasonable but cannot manage their responses,
and that children do not need to be on the verge of being put on medication to
greatly benefit from diet changes.
Part 4 (June 1999)
(This family was one of the
first to buy Fed Up and started an elimination diet soon after when their son
was in preschool. Here is the follow up after nearly a year on failsafe foods
with Simon now in school.)
We have just had Simon's
first school report and teacher interview. We were over the moon when we saw
his report, he is doing really well in prep, has no difficulty concentrating
(no more than other 5 year old boys), and is on track with reading and writing.
AND - he scored in the highest category for "polite and considerate"
and "cooperative in class"! We are so pleased at how well he has
settled into school and how responsible he is with his food. We have maintained
a failsafe diet for nearly 12 months now and we have never been happier. My
husband and I have given up wine and beer (now we stick to gin) and this has
added to the benefit. We cannot thank you enough for your book and your help.
- anonymous
The worst additive
The worst additive in my
experience thus far is the preservative 282 used in most commercial breads.
This additive is so strong that when breast feeding my 6 month old baby boy
Chris – if I ate only 1 slice – he got enough through my breast milk to cause
him to start screaming in agony with stomach cramps and have diarrhoea within
12 hours of me eating the bread containing 282. Chris is now 21 months old and
if he eats anything with 282 he is in terrible pain and has diarrhoea within
hours. - by email.
Oppositional defiance
After reading your web
page, I immediately eliminated preservatives and colourings from my pantry and
my shopping list. The most obvious reaction has been the elimination of the
bread preservative 282. We have had a breadmaker for 12 months now but had recently
become lazy and had reverted back to using commercial breads. I could never
understand how my daughter could be an angel for one whole day and then spend
the next 5 days angry and sullen.
The Reader's Stories showed
me that preservative 282 could be the culprit. I am now using only
preservative-free bread, or Laucke's pre-mix in my breadmaker. My daughter's
Oppositional Defiant Disorder has disappeared within a week.
My husband and I were so
dumbfounded when we issued an instruction last weekend - expecting it to be
completely ignored, followed by a stormy argument - to have my daughter jump
up, reply "Yes, Mummy, sorry I didn't hear you the first time", carry
out the task and then return to her play. We sat and looked at each with stupid
grins on our faces for a full five minutes. - reader,
Calmness and
concentration
My son's behaviour seems to
be progressively getting worse as he gets older. I have pinpointed two major
additives to cut out and have had some success with calmness and concentration
just eliminating preservative 282 and natural colour 160b in his diet. - reader
WA
On track
My daughter, who is now 7
years old and who began the failsafe approach at age 3, reacts in the following
ways whenever she has 282 in bread. She becomes defiant, hyperactive,
impossible to reason with, plain silly, very loud, noisy, annoying to others,
demanding, pushy, and if something doesn't go her way...watch out...fully blown
tantrum including slamming doors, storming out the house, screaming, yelling,
crying that goes on for a long time. Can't and won't follow simple
instructions, becomes distracted easily, goes off track and off task, becomes
destructive She also finds settling at night really difficult … can't seem to
switch off. The next day she realizes that it was the 282 that made her feel
that way ... and she genuinely can't refrain from behaving in this way. We are
pleased though that as she grows her reactions seem to be becoming slightly
less severe. I think this has to do with more careful diet, increased body
weight, and increased maturity on her part.
Prior to going failsafe,
life was unbearable. She had night terrors every night for 4 years etc, etc,
etc. We made many trips to specialists and psychologists and others, with no
explanation as to why we had a totally uncontrollable child. We chose to try
Failsafe before we filled the prescription for Ritalin that we had been given,
and thankfully it worked!
Thanks to your book, Fed
Up, we have seen incredible results and are now on track. -
"I felt like a
slug"
I'm only doing the
elimination diet to keep my overactive son company, so I was very surprised at
my own reaction to the bread preservative (282) challenge. After two days, I
got so incredibly tired, I thought I was getting sick. All I wanted to do was
sleep; I felt like a slug. Now, I have excessive energy normally so this was quite
a change. When I stopped the bread I felt better overnight. - reader,
Biggest single
contributor
Hospital staff wanted to
put our 4 year old daughter on medication for ADHD about 4 months ago. As she
is already on a lot of medication for her epilepsy we were very anti this and
went in search of alternatives. On discovering the elimination diet we as a
family all decided to do it. We found that the biggest single contributor to
her behaviour problems was 282 in bread - this caused major problems, but the
other additives to certain degrees as well. Her behaviour has improved out of
sight and her general overall health has improved too. - reader, WA
Babbling
We got the results of our
double blind capsule challenges yesterday at the hospital. MSG was the worst.
Nicholas got extremely violent, kicking, punching, verbally abusive, very
oppositional Next worst was calcium propionate (282). Nicholas became very hyperactive
(remembering that Nicholas is the dreamy variety of ADHD, not the hyperactive
variety). He started babbling and making silly inappropriate noises, and by
bedtime he was still hyped up.- Susan Bull,
Memory lapses
I thought you might be
interested in this story from our group. One of the boys was exhibiting
forgetfulness, inattention and memory lapses so noticeable that he was referred
for brain investigation of suspected epilepsy. However, he never reached the
tests - he stopped eating preserved bread first, and his problems stopped. - reader,
Victoria
Especially 282
Our daughter turned out to
be sensitive to glutamates and additives especially 282 and colours. - reader,
Inability to sleep
We've had lots of reactions
on our elimination diet. However, the most direct links are dermatitis in my 6
year old son related to food colourings and preservatives, and my inability to
sleep well related to 282. - reader NSW
"Off the
planet"
When my son was three, he
was always irritable and often aggressive. At four, he was suspended several
times from preschool for violent and dangerous behaviour.
We went to parenting
courses, but the techniques were ineffective with our son. He has been on the
diet for three years, and we have found that the behavioural management has
worked much better since starting the diet.
Diet hasn't solved all the
behaviour problems, but he is very much improved. One of the things that affect
him most is preservative 282, a complete "off the planet" - almost
psychotic - experience.
It has been very hard to
work out as his responses take a long time to show up (three days for the 282)
and even longer to wear off. If you are unlucky enough to have a child like
this it is quite difficult to isolate the intolerances. You have to maintain
the strict elimination diet for longer than two weeks before starting
challenges, and leave long gaps between the challenges or the responses get
confused. -
Bread preservative not
necessary
"We've found that
taking preservatives out of bread products gives a better presenting product,
one that tastes better, smells better and we believe is inherently safer for
people, so we just don't add preservatives … Invariably, someone will be affected
some time so we chose to affect as few as possible by adding none". - Mark
Laucke from Laucke's Flour Mills in
[036] Jack's story:
severe speech delay associated with bread preservative (April 2000)
I have been meaning to
write to you for years to thank you for your books. We were on the right track
with our then four year old son, Jack (now coming up to 10) when I read
"Different Kids". I already suspected ADHD and knew very well that he
reacted to food as do I. Jack had his first food reaction at 20 weeks
gestation! I ate some of those awful red sugar-coated peanut things and he just
went berserk, looping the loop and throwing himself all over the place for
about an hour or so. So we were prepared.
I breastfed him for nearly
three years - breastfeeding was only time I got to lie down and rest. He was a
"windy" but fairly normal baby early on and I did avoid any foods in
my diet that seemed to cause problems. He never liked to be left alone and
would panic if put down while awake. From three months constant movement and
novelty was required to keep him happy. When he was happy he was radiant and
when he was not he was grizzly and constantly squirming with this giving way to
frantic screaming if the boredom lasted for more than a few minutes. Out
shopping, strangers loved him as he responded with such joy to any attention
and he was a very attractive baby. I had to carry him on my back in a sling,
the stroller was too boring, too far away from me and not social enough. I
accepted all this as I had been told I was a very, very difficult baby - colic
- and my expectations were therefore "realistic".
At four months I began to
introduce solids - rice cereal with breast milk to mix. The novelty seemed to
appeal to Jack! Then I began to mix a small amount of orange juice in with the
cereal to boost iron absorption. From there I introduced apple, ripe banana,
pureed vegies (broccoli, pumpkin, etc.). He wasn't so keen on this but I heard
about adding cheese to make the vegies more appealing, so I did this, often
using parmesan cheese as well as milder cheeses. Jack loved bolognaise sauce
mixed in too. Another favourite was avocado. He loved apricot and yogurt. He
had a small amount of mashed prune to counteract a tendency to constipation. I
was so pleased that he ate well and proud he had such a good appetite and such an
ideal diet. When others asked how he slept (pretty awfully) I could at least
say, "But he eats really well".
Meanwhile our little boy
was getting more and more grumpy and demanding and more and more miserable when
he wasn't amused. I looked frantically for the "ideal toy" the thing
that would hold his attention. Each new item was met with delight and then
discarded within thirty seconds and the grizzling began again.
Jack woke at least twice a
night. He was into everything and seemed to always want more - more - more. He
wasn't babbling - ba ba ba & da da da at 10 months. (In retrospect, the
first sign of his problems with auditory processing that later resulted in
speech delay and difficulty in learning to read.) He never sat and played. He
never sat! He went straight from crawling to being dissatisfied because he
couldn't yet walk.
From the 4 months we put
his "difficult" and unhappy behaviour down to "teething".
The first tooth didn't appear until eleven months.
When Jack was four months
old I ate a small amount of dark chocolate in an ice-cream and about one hour
later breastfed Jack. Within half an hour he was screaming inconsolably and
instead of being tense as crying babies are he just lay back in my arms in an
almost relaxed way as he screamed (low muscle tone no doubt). I identified the
chocolate as the most likely culprit - I'm now sure I was right. After Jack
went to sleep I sat up and expressed my other breast out into a nappy!
He was still a delightful,
smiling, social child as long as he had the undivided attention of someone and
a constant stream of novelty.
I've gone into this first
year in detail because it really shows most clearly what was going on even if
it was not obvious at the time.
My second child, a daughter
called Ellen, was born when Jack was nearly 3 and a half. Jack was delighted
and adored his little sister. The pregnancy was complicated by my blood
pressure going high from 23 weeks. My mother came to look after us all as I was
meant to be resting as well as taking anti-hypertensive medication. My mother
just couldn't take Jack's behaviour.
I had been avoiding wheat
in Jack's diet as I believed I had a problem with it. (My problem was actually
with calcium propionate (282), of course, but cutting out all wheat did solve
my problems of fatigue and fuzziness and so for years I thought I needed to
avoid wheat). For convenience we changed to normal white bread from the
supermarket. Jack loved it after the drier rye bread I had used formerly. I had
not a clue about the preservative in the bread. Jack's behaviour went from bad
to atrocious.
Jack's behaviour was at its
all-time worst between the ages of 3 and 4. It was during this time he was
eating the preserved bread. He put his hand through a windowpane during a
tantrum. He woke with nightmares and screamed madly about and it was impossible
to get through to him.
He went to bed late,
reappearing often saying he was hungry and wanting (surprise, surprise) another
slice of bread. He would wake at 4.30 in the morning wanting to be entertained.
The only toy he persistently liked was his ride-on car. His behaviour and
manner were almost autistic but for his insatiable sociability. His speech was
very delayed and I don't think he really understood a lot of what was said to
him. He was however very imaginative and inventive and liked to play pretend
games, but always with someone. He had no liking for being read to but
preferred to have me act out stories with both of us taking roles.
Needless to say I was
exhausted and miserable. We lived half an hour out of town. My husband, Nick,
was at that time managing farms. It was a very similar situation to yours, I
think.
Jack was going to preschool
in town a few days per week. Although they did not complain about Jack's
behaviour (he has never been physically aggressive towards other people, even
at his very worst and he's never said "I hate you" either - he is a
very gentle character) When pressed they would say he was a bit weird, hiding in
the playhouse and refusing to come out when the others were sitting on the mat
listening to stories and taking off outside at inside time, etc, but he was
only three so a lot of immaturity was allowed for.
My mother and my husband, Nick and I discussed Jack and his behaviour and decided that his things had got much worse around the time of the change in bread type. I took Jack of all wheat. The change was astonishing. He could have his socks put on without going berserk. You could talk to him and he would act on what was said. He didn't scream through everyday tasks such as b