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Oligoantigenic diet improves children’s ADHD rating scale scores reliably in added video-rating
Since the early 20th century, the link between food consumption and behavioral problems has been recognized. Research has suggested that eliminating allergenic foods through an oligoantigenic diet (OD) may help improve symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, few studies have validated these findings using blinded symptom assessments. This study by Dölp et al. (2020) aimed to ascertain the reliability of non-blinded evaluations of the ADHD Rating Scale IV (ARS-IV) in evaluating the impact of an OD by comparing blindfolded assessments based on pseudonymized video recordings. The study included ten children (8 boys, 2 girls) aged 8 to 14 diagnosed with ADHD based on ICD-10 criteria. Participants followed an elimination diet for four weeks, removing foods commonly linked to intolerances. Those who demonstrated a greater than 40% improvement in ARS scores between baseline (T1) and post-diet assessment (T2) were classified as responders. Nutrients relevant to ADHD symptoms were then reintroduced over 8–16 weeks (T3–T4). A non-blinded child and adolescent psychiatrist assessed ARS scores (T0–T4), while three blinded raters evaluated video recordings. Complete data were available for eight participants. The non-blinded rater and two of the three blinded raters classified five out of eight children (62.5%) as responders, while one blinded rater identified only four as responders. There was good inter-rater reliability. In this uncontrolled investigation, children who had an oligoantigenic diet (OD) exhibited substantial improvements in their ADHD symptoms on both blinded and non-blinded evaluations. Given these promising findings, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these effects, establish more reliable effect sizes, and support objective validation of dietary interventions for ADHD management. [NPID: ADHD, children, adolescent, ADHD rating scale, brain-gut axis, oligoantigenic diet, inter-rater reliability, video rating]
Year: 2020
