A study of 202 adult men and woman age 40 and older published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that those who went through group-based exercise therapy did as well as those treated with an antidepressant drug. A third group that performed home-based exercise also improved, though to a lesser degree.

Participants who were all diagnosed with major depression were randomly assigned to one of four groups: one that worked out in a supervised, group setting three times per week; one that exercised at home; one that took the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft); and one that took placebo pills. After 16 weeks, the patients completed standard measures of depression symptoms.

By the end of the study, 47 percent of participants on the antidepressant no longer met the criteria for major depression. The same was true of 45 percent of those in the supervised exercise group. In the home-based exercise group, 40 percent had their symptoms go into remission. That compared with 31 percent of the placebo group.

There are several theories on why exercise might improve depression. For example, physical activity seems to affect key nervous system chemicals — norepinephrine and serotonin — that are targets of antidepressant drugs, as well as brain neurotrophins, which help protect nerve cells from injury and transmit signals in brain regions related to mood. Exercise may also boost people’s feelings of self-efficacy and promote positive thinking.

There is mounting evidence that artificial colors can exacerbate hyperactivity. A 6 week study conducted by reseachers at Southampton University and recently published in The Lancet showed the artificial food colors sunset yellow, carmoisine, tartrazine, and ponceau 4R mixed with sodium benzoate as commonly found in sweets adversely impacted the childrens behavior. The 297 sujects in the study were children ages 3, 8, and 9 years old. Authors concluded that children who were given a drink mix containing food coloring additives showed a higher percentage of hyperactivity than the subjects who drank a placebo mix.  

This is not to say that all ADHD is caused by food additives. There are many reasons children and adults have difficulty paying attention and in many cases genetics is the most influential factor. However, in using all available tools to control ADHD symptoms, parents and practitioners should consider removing food additives from a child’s diet.

Just say no to sunset yellow! http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxkT4USWDK5tgUrClrwGN0UIh–A

The good news is that most children treated from an interdisciplinary treatment approach for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) showed sustained improvement after three years in a major follow-up study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). However, the bad news is that increased risk for behavioral problems, including delinquency and substance use, remained higher than normal.

The report, published in the August, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), stated that after three years, 45-71 percent of the youth in the original treatment groups were taking medication; however, continuing medication treatment was no longer associated with better outcomes by the third year. More specifically, they identified three groups of children with different patterns of response. One group, about a third of the children, showed a gradual, moderate improvement; a second group, about half of the children, showed larger initial improvement, which was sustained through the third year; and a third group, about 14 percent of the children, responded well initially, but then deteriorated as symptoms returned during the second and third years. Swanson and colleagues suggested “trial withdrawals” for some children to determine if they still need to take medications.

In a follow-up study of 485 children ages 10-13, the study found that intensive medication management alone or in combination with behavioral therapy produced better outcomes than just behavioral therapy. Furthermore, ratings from families and teachers favored the combination treatment, which allowed for lower medication doses. Of particular concern was that found by Brooke Molina, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, and his colleagues. They reported that, despite treatment, the children with ADHD showed significantly higher-than-normal rates of delinquency (27.1 percent vs. 7.4 percent) and substance use (17.4 percent vs. 7.8 percent) after three years. Earlier evidence of lower substance use rates among children who had received intensive behavioral therapy had lessened by the third year. “These findings underscore the point that ADHD treatment for one year does not prevent serious problems from emerging later,” noted Molina.