Medical Journal Says Sugar Does Not Make Kids Hyper

I really hope my mother doesn't read this. She has a sweet tooth, and she LOVES to give my son candy and soda. Her home is like candy store with bowls of M&Ms, bubble gum, licorice, Hershey's kisses--it horrifies me. Luckily, she lives 90 miles from us so she can't ruin my son's teeth on a daily basis.

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Interesting.

It seems implausible, particularly with chocolate that contains the drug caffeine, that there'd be no behavioral effect whatsoever. It comes down to two things. 1) How they defined hyperactivity? 2) How each child metabolized their sweets. 3) If Cadbury paid for the study.

Ummm.. that's three things GLK!! Anyways, I am in the same boat, quit caffeine "cold turkey" and had a terrible headache for three days, no one can tell me it's not a powerful drug, it's just legal and for the most part socially acceptable. As for sugar since I've moved off topic, Eric Clapton named it his first drug of choice, where (according to him in a biography about him)as a child he would consume copious amounts and obtain a "buzz" from doing so. While your "study" is witty, it's not well backed. s. P.s. Turkey DOES make you tired, it contains tryptophin an amino acid which binds to dopamine receptors in your brain inducing a sleepy effect, you can ward of a hangover by drinking a glass of water for every drink, popping an ibuprofen before bed and waking to a breaky of toast w/ honey,all a hangover is is dehydration with inflamed blood vessels in your head (NICE).

Find this really hard to believe. I have noticed the effect in myself, that after eating a sweet I am more hyper. Calling a big BS on this one.

Chocolate does not contain caffiene. It does contain a similar xantene derivative. However the stimulant effect varies from person to person. I can drink coffee all day but hot chocolate makes it impossible for me to sleep.

My opinion for what it's worth.

Lads, maybe you were never taught this, but caffeine is not sugar. Caffeine is caffeine, the study was about sugar and just sugar.

God you people are idiots, you really think YOU know anything more than these scientific experts do? You just think that you get a "buzz" because that's what you've been taught to think by your idiot parents who ALSO believed this ridiculous myth.

This seems totally plausible. I have never felt any difference whatsoever after eating candy, and at times I do eat alot of it. For instance, I just ate two chocolate cookies and a brownie... perhaps I will notice some difference in about 15 minutes? Highly unlikely. Also, if you were to eat any food that contains sugar (not just candy) wouldn't you feel the same supposed effects? I don't think the effect of sugar on kids can be rightfully blamed on candy. Perhaps a study should be done to test the effects of any OTHER sugar containing food, not just candies.

Glad we got that straightened out. Based on traditional and conventional beliefs I have always been under the impression sugar did in fact make us hyper. However, I would strongly argue that drinking 8 glasses of water a day makes a significant difference to one's overall health and quality of life. Everyone can agree that not consuming enough water leads to dehydration which is a cause of several conditions. (Cramps, Muscle Spasms, Fatigue) Being dehydrated has a substantial impact on every part of your body. There have been an infinate amount of studies done to prove how being hydrated can reduce fatige and essentially lubricate your muscles. As a nation I think one major aspect of life we neglect is our sleep. People have places to go, things to do, and not enough time. Through water consumption we can atleast reduce the amount of fatigue in our everyday lives. So I dont understand why anyone would say drinking 8 glasses a day does not good at all? Just because you cannot see the positive effects does not mean they do not exist. Keep researching and learning, but please do not create myths while attemping to eliminate others. While your intentions are admirable, the results may be potentially dangerous.

@ brian: they didn't say being dehydrated wasn't a bad thing. just that drinking 8 glasses a day wasn't necessarily the end-all be-all of "must have this much water!"

@emU, they DID use other things than candies. the study says, "candies, choclate, and sugar from natural sources."

and BTW, a serving of turkey does not contain enough tryptophan to effectively raise dopamine levels. a study was recently done that showed that the sleepiness after holiday meals was mostly due to people overeating, not to the tryptophan in turkey.

and nobody said you can't PREVENT a hangover (the drinking water before bed trick is to stave off dehydration, one of the biggest causes of a hangover.) they said you can't CURE one once you have it. and you can't you just treat your symptoms (the ibuprofen is a pre-treating measure.) and deal until your body recovers.

Wow, you folks are really hostile. On the sugar / caffeine comments, actually, for ADHD children, the small amount of "speed" felt from the caffeine in a soda or cup of coffee is exactly what those kids need to calm down - ritalin(methylphenidate) is a stimulant - so instead of actually hyping them up it has the reverse affect. I do not think sugar has any immediate action on children, just as tv does not cause hoodlums - poor parenting and poor nutrition in general are probably more injurious to behavior than any single food ingredient. I speak from the experience of a teacher / school counselor - 20 years with grades K - 8.

The hostility I saw was "Evan
February 26, 2009 03:36 PM" which caused me to laugh out loud.

My entire LIFE has been proof that the "scientific experts" are only human and not godlike or infallable. ANY theory can be debunked with the right research... just as every theory can be proved effective for someone somewhere (and the research out there is incredibly plentiful.) In my experience not much is universal for EVERY person, although often can be common for many.

However I absolutely disagree on that sugar "finding."

I am also of the opinion that the "scientific experts" are from the same school that tend to ignore the fact that there was a Nobel prize awarded for research into the cause [and thus cure] for cancer. [You might wish to investigate http://www.stopcancer.com/000/017.htm and search Otto Warburg]

Oh, and before I get chastised for changing the subject or speaking heresy, I merely offer this as an example of why I don't blindly accept every word from the "experts." I hope this is useful to someone.

I used to live on sugar, soda...and then I quit.

Wow. What a change. Temper smoothed out incredibly, became much calmer (these are not subjective opinions from me, these are comments from people I work with and live around) and less stressed on a constant basis.

Now, if I have a soda, or chocolate, there is a consequence! Temper fits the next day from soda; if I have sugary candy etc in excess (everyone say SPLURGE?) I have to taper off so that I do not have a 3 day major migraine headache.

Sorry, folks, but I'm going to say that these 'mythbusters' are either not correct, OR that the study did not look at the kids long enough over time--especially if they took the sugar AWAY.....(Hint: it's bunker time...)