Although sugar is widely believed to cause hyperactivity in children, there is actually no concrete scientific evidence to prove this is the case. So why does sugar have such a bad reputation for making kids climb the walls, when in fact it doesn’t?
How the Myth Began
It all started in the 1970’s, when a diet devised by Dr. Benjamin Feingold became popular with parents. The diet stated that all artificial additives should be removed from a child’s diet because these ingredients can cause hyperactive behavior.
Sugar was never mentioned in the original diet, but somehow over time people started to group sugar together with the artificial additives, and this is believed to be how sugar came to have the reputation it does.
Seeing What We Expect To See
However, since then, a number of scientific studies have tried to find a link between sugar consumption and child hyperactivity, only to find little in the way of substantial evidence. What these studies have shown is that in many cases, parents who believe that their child is adversely affected by sugar are prone to notice changes in their child’s behavior after eating sugary foods, when in fact there has been little or no real change at all.
Another theory is that because children often consume foods which are high in sugar at events such as birthday parties or during Halloween celebrations, the hyperactivity caused by the children’s collective excitement is mistakenly attributed to being due to cake and candy.
Real Side Effects
Even though the link between sugar and hyperactivity has been largely rebuffed by the scientific community, research has found that sugar can affect behavior in other ways. For example, research conducted by Dr. Wesnes found that children who ate sugary breakfasts experienced a significant decline in attention span in comparison with children who ate either no breakfast at all or whole grain breakfast cereals.
In conclusion, high doses of sugar in any diet, whether for adults or children, are by no means healthy. Yet it may not be having the effect on your children that you may think it does. By trying to avoid sugary foods, many people turn to foods containing sugar substitutes such as aspartame, which are in no way a healthier alternative for your child. So, as with anything in life, exercise moderation and you and your child will be happy and healthy.