Does Sugar Make Them Hyper?

We know we’re going to take a lot of abuse over this one, but it’s our responsibility as professionals to give you the straight facts as we know them. Sugar and other simple carbs in large amounts do NOT make children hyper. At least nine well-respected medical studies have found no association between sugar intake and behavior.

“There is elegant research demonstrating that sugar is not at all related to inattention or hyperactivity,” says Mina Dulcan, MD, head of child and adolescent psychiatry at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Instead, experts believe the settings where children typically eat lots of sugary treats are likely to be the cause of the behavior changes that all parents can describe. Birthday parties, celebrations, family gatherings, and other occasions where lots of children are together in a fun and exciting atmosphere are also the places kids tend to eat lots of junk. In other words, it’s the party, not the sugar.

Of course this doesn’t mean that lots of sugar is a good thing for children or anyone else. It provides tons of empty calories with no nutritional value whatsoever. Zero. Zip. Nada. It rots your teeth and doesn’t satisfy your appetite for very long. It makes you crave more sugar. But it doesn’t make Tommy run around in circles and jump on the couch.

So don’t believe us, check out what the American Academy of Pediatrics has to say and then go ahead and limit the sugar in their diets for all those other reasons.