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While people have been suspicious of food additives for many years, hard scientific evidence has been hard to come by.
Now, however, a new piece of research from the UK has finally confirmed what many people have long suspected - food additives can cause hyperactivity and disruptive behavior in children.
The research was the biggest ever UK study into the links between hyper-activity and chemical food additives.
Scientists from Southampton University tested 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight to nine year-olds, measuring their reaction to food additives that included artificial colorings and the preservative sodium benzoate, commonly used in soft drinks.
The dosages weren't excessive, they were calculated to reflect what a typical child might eat in the course of a normal day.
The results showed that the children given the mix showed an increase in hyperactivity and disruptive behavior, and that the deterioration in behavior occurred in children in the general population, not just those already identified as suffering from hyperactivity.
Unfortunately, governments aren't likely to ban these substances any time soon - there is too much food industry money invested in them. So you have to make individual decisions as to what foods and drinks you will eat in order to reduce these effects on you and your children.
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