An array of non-organic vegetables, all with pesticides present.
Link to article: http://www.naturalnews.com/035156_pesticides_children_ADHD.html
Link to article: http://www.naturalnews.com/035156_pesticides_children_ADHD.html
Summary: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4.5 million kids have been diagnosed with ADHD. There has to be a reason, and one could be in the food that the American children eat. According to a study done in 2010 by Harvard University, even low levels of pesticides double the risk of ADHD in kids. Urine samples of almost 1200 children aged 8 to 15 were taken. They were tested for exposure of various pesticided, and compounds were found in almost 94 percent of them. After the tests, researchers talked to the childrens' mothers. Approximately 10 percent of them showed signs of ADHD.
Opinion/Reflection: After reading this article, I believe that organic foods may be a good option for many families. Anything that could increase a chance of having a diagnosis of a disease like ADHD is always a concern for parents. If parents are mad aware of how dangerous the pesticides in the food that their kids eat, they could seriously change the way that they purchase items at the grocery store. I think that any link to ADHD is a serious concern. Organic foods seem like a good option at this point for families to consider, for the risk of ADHD to be doubled by eating habits is something that can be prevented.
Questions:
1. Do you think that organic foods are the best options for purchase, even considering price?
2. Does pesticides linking to ADHD cause a huge concern for families if they are made aware?
3. Why isn't the linking of ADHD and pesticides being published by the media?
According to the ADAM Medical Encyclopedia, ADHD symptoms at an earlier age than this study suggests. It would be unwise to say that pesticides are directly linked to ADHD. Also, if pesticides are linked to ADHD, why is it that ADHD affects about 3-5% of children. If pesticides in fact do increswe the risk of ADHD, then organic foods are the answer. No one knows for sure how ADHD occurs, we only know that it is one of the most common behavioral disorders. I wonder if this study only pertains to American children. Why not expand the study?
ReplyDeleteI agree with switching out our normal fare for more organic choices, but I am still skeptical that pesticides are directly linked to ADHD. What ingredients or chemicals in pesticides create this link? Organic foods are a great way to improve the daily diets of many people.
For more on ADHD: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002518/
I understand that there are potential health issues with produce grown with pesticides being consumed, and I think once we get the technology down with research, we should use GMO's more to reduce pesticides. However, I don't necessarily believe this issue is entirely accurate. ADHD is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions in the US, due to symptoms often being exhibited by children that are really only traits of their personality. Short attention spans are very common in humans, especially younger ones. Obviously, people showing symptoms of ADHD will most often show traces of pesticide consumption, because most of the US's grown foods have pesticides used as their main defense against pests.
ReplyDeleteYes, organic foods are healthiest. However, I currently do not believe that they are completely worth their price. I would rather buy treated, cheaper produce. I don't think that families should become very concerned if made aware of this, but knowing the general public, there;s a good chance many will. I think it isn't being published because treated produce industries profit too much for a potential drop that could be caused if the linking was published.
I, like Justin see why there is a potential problem. I also think that pesticides should not not be used but limited. ADHD has very common symptoms and so that just because kids have the symptoms doesn’t mean that they have ADHD. I personally get a little antsy and I don’t have ADHD. That’s why I think that this study is a little off and not spots on. Also ever since we learned about GMO’s in class I have started to eat more organic foods.
ReplyDeleteI think that organic foods are not the best but are healthier. I feel that if the government subsidized it that it would be better. There study is not being published by the media because like I said earlier it is not spot on and is debatable.
I feel that with only 10% of a small sample showing signs of ADHD the data is somewhat inconclusive. This makes me think that really it does not depend on hat your child eats and that perhaps there isn't even a higher risk. The whole problem is that really you can not say as a generalization that ADHD is linked to pesticides. I do believe that organic foods are healthier, but not quite worth the price in our market today.
ReplyDelete