Do Children Get Hyperactive By Eating Sugar?

There are plenty of reasons not to ply your child with sugary foods; hyperactivity, despite what many parents think, is not one of them. Sugar making kids hyperactive is an old wives' tale, stemming from wrong assumptions and one disproven study. Kids act hyper for many reasons. They might consume sugary food or a sugary drink and then act hyper, but that does not mean that sugar is the cause.

Debunked Myth

A study from the 1970s showed that a child's behavior improved when sugar was removed from the diet, according to Keith-Thomas Ayoob, pediatric professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. This study gave credence to the notion that sugar causes kids to be hyperactive, an idea that many parents had suspected was true. Dozens of studies have been conducted since then, and not one shows a link between sugar and hyperactivity, according to Karen Ansel, registered dietitian, writing for Kids Eat Right.

Parents Fooled

Because many parents believe that sugar causes hyperactivity in children, they may be biased in their assessment of what is causing the hyperactivity. Ansel described one study where parents were told their kids were consuming a sugary drink, when in reality the kids really had a sugar-free drink. The parents rated their kids as being more hyperactive after drinking what they thought was a sugary drink that really contained no sugar. The kids might have been hyperactive, but sugar was not the cause.

Sugar Is Not the Best Food

Just because sugar probably does not cause hyperactivity is not a license for your child to consume a diet loaded with sugar. Sugar causes tooth decay, for one, and it fills kids up so that they are less likely to eat healthier foods like fruits and vegetables. Sugary foods also tend to be processed foods that contain food coloring. Some studies show a link between food coloring and hyperactivity. A study published in the December 2004 issue of "Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics" by David Schab, M.D., and Nhi Ha T. Trinh, M.D., shows that there might be a link between artificial food coloring and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, other studies show no link between artificial food coloring and hyperactivity.

Every Child is Different

Michael F. Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest warns parents in a "New York Times" article not to rely only on what studies reveal because studies typically look at the average effect of a substance. On average, kids may not be affected by sugar, but some children might be. Refined sugars enter the bloodstream quickly and can trigger a rush of adrenaline, which can lead to hyperactivity. When the adrenaline falls, so does the activity level.