Content Summary : Notwithstanding the evidence from numerous studies, many health organizationsand medical experts deny that diet canprovoke adverse behaviors and that modifieddiets may benefit patients. The NationalInstitute of Mental Health (NIMH) largelydismisses diet as a treatment approach, andthe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)has cosponsored with an industry tradeassociation a misleading pamphlet that deniesthe effect of diet on behavior. Ignoring or denying (or exaggerating) the effect of diet on behavior is not helpful tochildren and their families. The federalgovernment, the food industry, organizationsconcerned about children with behavioralproblems, and psychiatrists, psychologists, andsocial workers should recognize that dietsometimes can help children who havebehavioral problems. Parents should considermodifying their children’s diets for severalweeks to ascertain any benefit before resortingto medications. That is particularly the casebecause the stimulant drugs routinely used totreat ADHD may cause side effects, and themost commonly used drug, methylphenidate(Ritalin), increased the incidence of livercancer in a study on mice. Of course,modifying a child’s diet can be difficult in asociety in which problem foods are ubiquitous,though perhaps no more difficult thanadhering to a kosher or vegetarian diet.