Is it true that sweets make children hyperactive?

Among the parents, the belief is widespread that sweet soda, cakes and cupcakes due to the large amount of glucose in their composition make children hyperactive, naughty and restless. We decided to check if there are scientific confirmations of such an impact of sugar on children's behavior.

That sweet food and drinks make children Naughty and restless, often write on parental forums and sites O education. Sugar in its action on children Compare with caffeine and even with narcotic drugs. Doctors warn On the negative consequences of sugar: supposedly “it leads to hyperactivity and mood swings, disrupts the functions of the brain, reduces immunity”, and can provoke "Aggressive behavior or even bipolar disorder." Some sites even Offer With the help of sugar, check the child for the presence of a hyperactivity and attention deficit syndrome: “Give your Sun red-bonk as much as it will fit, within reasonable limits, of course. Arrange the "Feast of the abdomen"! Approximately 45-55% of children turn into a “frantic rabbit”. This is from the words of the parents. There is hyperactivity, screams, whims, scandals, increased pureness, etc. ” In English even exists A special term is sugar fever (Sugar rush), describing excited behavior after eating sweets.

Once in the body, sugar turns into glucose - a rapidly absorbed substance, which in a short period of time gives a large amount of energy. Therefore, sweet snacks are recommended both with tense physical activity and during solving complex mental problems. For example, marathon They prefer There are chocolate bars before the distance, and Rospotrebnadzor during the exam Allows Schoolchildren take only water and chocolate with them. Moreover, many of us have noticed in our example-it is worth eating something sweet, as you instantly appear forces and energy. 

In 1995, a group of scientists under the leadership of the American pediatrician Mark Volraich Spent Meta analysis, having selected 23 already published studies on keywords “Sugar”, “Sugarosa” and “Deficiency of attention”. In all of the selected experiments, in addition to sugar, a placebo was used - sucrone, and participants and researchers did not know during the study who actually receives what. That is, the experiments were blind and randomized, this made it possible to obtain the most reliable data. After analyzing these 23 publications, the authors of the meta -analysis did not find dependence between sugar consumption and a change in children's behavior, as well as their cognitive abilities.

To confirm his conclusions, Mark Voprah Spent One experiment independently. He gathered a group of 25 preschoolers (3-5 years) and 23 schoolchildren (6 - 10 years), as well as their parents. The experiment included three periods for three weeks, in each of which the children adhered to a certain diet. For the first three weeks, children consumed a lot of sugar and did not consume artificial sweeteners. In the second period, sugar was very limited, and aspartam was used as the sweetener. The third diet was also low sugar, and sugar was as a sweetener. An analysis of the results showed that a change in the amount of sugar in the diet of children did not affect their behavior. 

Where did the belief come from then that sweets make children uncontrollable? Closest to the answer They came up Scientists from Kansas. 35 children aged 5 to 7 years and their mother participated in the experiment. They were divided into two parts - an experimental group and a control. In the experimental group, parents were informed that their children drank a drink with a high sugar content, and the control group said that instead of natural sugar there was an artificial sweetener. In fact, all children from both groups received a drink with a sweetener aspartam. After that, the children and parents played together for some time, and the experimenters documented the process of interaction on the video. At the end of the experiment, parents were asked to share their observations. Those adults who thought that their children received natural sugar described them as hyperactive, less obedient and more uncontrollable. In a group where parents thought that the child received only the sweetener, they talked about the good behavior of their children and their calm. Having reviewed the video, scientists also noted that mothers who believed that their child received sugar, were more critical, tried to be physically closer, constantly maintained eye contact and controlled their children's behavior much more.

Thus, sugar, or rather his expectation, changed not the behavior of children, but the behavior of their parents, making them more strict and demanding on discipline. Psychologists suggestthat in a situation where the child moved the sweet on the birthday of a friend, the atmosphere of the holiday and fun, and not a large amount of sugar, will become a large provoking factor in poor behavior. 

Moreover, some scientists suggest The possible role of sugar in the development of attention deficiency and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They note that in recent years in the United States, sugar consumption among children has increased, along with this, diagnosis of ADHD has become more common. However, there is no data that it is a certain type of nutrition that provokes the development of the disease. In observation for 107 schoolchildren, scientists They came To the conclusion that "no significant associations between the total volume of sugar consumed and the risk of development of ADHD were found." In the 2019 meta zone, scientists noted that “there are observations that a high consumption of refined sugar and saturated fat can increase the risk of ADHD”, while the evidence of this theory is extremely weak due to the design of the analyzed experiments, and it itself needs further study.

It is also worth noting that the exact causes of ADHD are still unknown. Scientists suggestthat a significant role can play a genetic predisposition, as well as the effects of poisonous substances (lead), smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, premature birth and low weight at birth. Experts of the Central Committee (centers for the control and prevention of diseases) note that studies do not confirm the common belief that ADHD can be caused by the use of too much sugar. In the official one Bulletin UNICEF about ADHD also does not mention sugar as a provoking factor. 

Thus, there is no scientific evidence that sugar negatively affects the behavior of children. At the same time, thinking that the child will behave worse after sweets, plays a cruel joke with his parents, they become more critical of his child and require more obedience.

Image on the cover: Pixabay

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