I have always passionately believed in the importance of eating organic food. Children have smaller and less mature livers than us and chemicals have a greater impact on them. I have long been advising parents to remove pesticides from their children’s diets but having solid research to emphasise this is great. Please be aware that the link between pesticides and behavioural disorders is now compelling!

A Harvard based study recently published in Pediatrics demonstrates a link between Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and organophosphate pesticides. The researchers found a strong correlation between the level of pesticides detected in the urine of children and the condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Those children with more pesticide exposure were more likely to have ADHD.The researchers concluded: “These findings support the hypothesis that organophosphate exposure, at levels common among US children, may contribute to ADHD prevalence. Prospective studies are needed to establish whether this association is causal.”For the most commonly detected pesticide chemical, dimethylthiophosphate, children with levels higher than the median of detectable concentrations had double the odds of ADHD compared with those with non-detectable levels.”Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) “… is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity),” says the National Institute of Mental Health. The Center for Disease Control said 3% to 7% of school-aged children in the United States had ADHD in 2003, with 2.5 million children medicated for the condition.Exposure, says the Center for Disease Control, does not have to be direct. Eating foods that have organophosphates sprayed on them can contribute to effects on an individuals’ health. So, the only safe answer is to eat organic food and prioritise your children’s diets. It is frightening the effect that these chemicals have on our growing children – double the incidence of ADHD if you eat food contaminated with pesticides!