Myth busting: Sugar and Hyperactivity

by Steve Sainsbury, MD

As you pick up your six-year-old twins from kindergarten, you notice that they are unusually excited. They run far ahead of you down the sidewalk to your car, and can barely stay still long enough for you to buckle them into their car seats. Chattering with you the entire way home, they rarely stop to even take a breath. As you pull into the driveway, you remember that today was a special holiday party in their classroom.

"What did you two eat at the party?" you ask suspiciously.

"Chocolate cupcakes and fruit punch!" they gleefully exclaim.

No wonder they are so hyper, you mutter under your breath, resigning yourself to an afternoon of chasing your twins around the house and maybe around the block.

Familiar story? Perhaps. But not for the reasons you may think.

The studies say . . .

Okay, get ready to disagree. Despite the commonly held belief to the contrary, sugar does not make children hyper. There is no established scientific link between diet and hyperactivity. Sugar does not cause hyperactivity nor does it cause it to be expressed.

I know. I know. You are probably thinking, "How can he say this? Everyone knows that our kids will bounce off the walls during a sugar high. Everyone."

This myth probably started back in the 1970's when Dr. Ben Feingold suggested that the degree of a child's hyperactive behavior was linked to sugar and food additives, particularly synthetic colors. He proposed the Feingold Diet, which prohibited the use of sugar, artificial sweeteners, additives, dyes, or preservatives (along with many fruits and other "salicylate" laden foods). Dozens of scientists put the Feingold diet to the test, but conclusive support was never found to link these substances with hyperactivity except in a very tiny fraction of subjects.

In addition, sugar alone has been isolated and studied with regards to hyperactivity. Dozens of carefully controlled studies confirm that there is no link between sugar intake and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or just plain being "overly stimulated."

So why does the myth persist?

One reason might be parent's expectations and perceptions about diet and their child's behavior. Consider one study, which looked at a select group of children who were all given a sugar-free drink. However, half of the study-group's parents were told that their children were given a sugar-laden beverage. Every one of those parents who thought their child was being given sugar rated their child as being more hyperactive. They also tended to be more critical of their children during this period, hovering over them much more than the non-sugar group.

We parents may at times create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most of us try to limit the sugar and candy intake of our young ones, but relent during special times like birthday parties or celebrations. Of course, these are occasions when children tend to be more excitable and active anyway, so we may falsely attribute their behavior to their sugar load.

Critics may point out the rise in the number of children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD over the past 20 years, and correlate it to the increase of sugar in our diets over the same period. The link doesn't hold up. Because educators, parents, and health professionals have become more aware of this disorder, more children have been screened and subsequently diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Currently ADD affects from 3-15 % of the population, depending on the criteria used and the population studied. And the fact remains: Carefully controlled studies do not show any link between sugar intake and hyperactivity.

Am I advocating the use of sugar in our children's diet? Of course not.

High sugar use is clearly linked with obesity, a rising problem among our rising generation. Furthermore, foods high in sugar tend to be poor nutritionally, lacking in vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. They are often high in fat, and are definitely responsible for increased tooth decay.

So do not misunderstand me—I am not a sugar advocate. I just don't think we have to chain our children to their bedposts during the next cupcake-filled birthday party, or boycott Halloween with "STOP ADD" placards. Besides, can any human being (child or adult) be expected to survive without chocolate forever? Unthinkable!

Mountain Gorilla image on banner by Steve Sainsbury.
This particular one is Steve's favorite gorilla, a friend from one of his stays in Rwanda.