sir winston churchill showed signs of hyperactivity, poor attention and, later, manic depression. at school he failed dismally in the subjects that bored him but excelled when they excited his interest. the behaviour of overexcitable, sometimes aggressive, easily bored but often hugely entertaining and bright children is easily tipped over the edge.

research on hyperactive children with adhd at great ormond street hospital in 1993 showed that some responded to dietary restrictions. controlled studies on children in the isle of wight in 2002 showed that behaviour improved in some children when they avoided drinks with certain E additives.

the old advice was that E numbers 100 to 150 and preservatives E200 and 297 were probably responsible. the current rumour is that the list of those to be avoided has been narrowed to E102, 124, 110, 122, 129, 104 and the preservative E211. opinion has it that as additives have no nutritional value some children would be better off without them.

click on the controls above to watch the slide show.