Does Sugar Really Cause Hyperactivity in Your Child?
If you have witnessed difficult behaviour displayed by your child following their consumption of candy, you might blame sugar for the sudden shift in your child’s mood. But, experts suggest, sugar is probably not the real explanation behind the change in your child’s behaviour. In her article, “The Sugar Hyperactivity Myth” (medicinenet.com, May 28, 2004), Jennifer Warner writes that the idea that sugar causes children to become hyperactive is the most popular example of how people believe food can affect behavior, especially among young children. Yet, despite years of research on the relationship between food and behavior, no major studies have been able to provide any clear scientific evidence to validate those claims. In conversations with Warner, experts revealed the following myths:
1) "The biggest myth of all is that food has any connection to behavior."
Steven Pliszka, MD, professor of psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
2) "There haven't been any good scientific studies that show that there is an adverse effect on a child or adult's behavior with the ingestion of foods."
Wesley Burks, MD, professor and chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Duke University Medical Center
3) “There is elegant research demonstrating that sugar is not at all related to inattention or hyperactivity."
Mina Dulcan, MD, head of child and adolescent psychiatry at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Warner writes that: “Dulcan and Pliszka point to studies that have shown no effect of sugar on the behavior of children whose parents are convinced that the food makes them more hyperactive. But if the parents think their child has had sugar, they often perceive a difference in behavior that is not really there by objective measures.”
Instead, psychiatrists say it's the context of parties, holidays, and other special occasions in which children get their biggest doses of sugar that is often responsible for behavior changes. Part of the reason the sugar-hyperactivity myth continues is because people often confuse recent occurances with the cause of current circumstances. Therefore, when parents witness a change in their child’s behavior, their minds usually go back to the child's last candy bar rather than to other circumstances that might have influenced the behavior.
While it may be true that most children consume too much sugar, cutting back on sugary foods does not substitute for addressing other issues that affect behavior. If your child's behavior is disrupting family life or affecting their performance in school, it may be a symptom of a bigger problem and should be evaluated by a mental health professional. "It won't hurt anybody to limit their sugar," says Dulcan. "But it won't help their behavior." (Warner, 2004, medicinenet.com)
ADHD and the Food Allergy Myth
Another popular myth is that food allergies cause behavioral changes or ADHD in children. Warner reported that, "There is absolutely no evidence that food allergies have anything to do with ADHD." If you do have food allergy and have hives, or you're wheezing or you can't sleep very well at night, then you're probably not going to do very well in school but that is a separate issue, it's not ADHD." Those symptoms may cause a child to not feel well or disturb their sleep, which may indirectly affect their behavior. But allergic responses do not directly affect the nervous system or the brain that is responsible for controlling behavior (Warner, 2004). Wesley Burks explained to Warner that many parents complain that their child is allergic to sugar or chocolate, but in order for it to be a real allergy, the immune system should respond in the same way each and every time the child is exposed to the potential allergen -- not just sometimes. The only way to know for sure if a child has a food allergy is to see a doctor for a skin or blood allergy test. In conclusion, researchers report that limiting the amount of sugar or artificial additives children eat certainly isn't harmful as long as their nutritional needs are being met, but that it is unrealistic to think that food is the cause of behavioral problems.
Source: The Food-Allergy Myth, By Jennifer Warner, medicinenet.com, May 28, 2004.
