There was one very interesting bombshell dropped during a FDA meeting of its Pediatric Advisory Committee Thursday, aside from the proposed relabelling of attention deficit and hyperactivity drugs containing methylphenidate: The federal agency's ongoing investigation regarding a link between Ritalin and cancer based on a small study conducted by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.
The findings, appearing earlier this year in the journal Cancer Letters (link below), showed damage to the chromosomes of 12 children who had taken Ritalin for three months. Although the Texas scientists testified their study was far too small to prompt the parents of attention deficit patients to abandon Ritalin, they have a grant proposal in the pipeline at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund a much larger probe in 2006, encompassing many more patients and a variety of drugs.
Makes you wonder if their reluctance had anything to do with the fact Ritalin has been on the market for about a half-century...
In fact, the initial results were so surprising, representatives from the FDA, NIH and Environmental Protection Agency made a trip to Houston in late May to examine the study methods used by M.D. Anderson researchers, and found their results merited public concern and further study.
If your child is taking a drug to treat his or her attention-deficit problems, that may be toxic in more ways than one, you should strongly consider the natural and dramatic effects the addition of omega-3 fats -- in the form of a high quality fish or cod liver oil -- can have on their health.
Cancer Letters February 16, 2005
Forbes July 1, 2005
Wilmington Star News July 1, 2005
New York Times July 1, 2005 Registration Required