‘Sugar High’: Does sugar really make children hyper?
The answer: no, it doesn’t!
You might have heard this before, either from a fellow parent in the playground, your mother when you were growing up, or even yourself echoing it at some point: do not feed your child sugar, lest they get hyperactive from all that ‘sugar rush’.
The idea and myth of a ‘sugar high‘ among children is such a prevalent sentiment and somewhat of a parenting urban legend. You see a child wolfing down copious amounts of candy during birthday parties or trips to the park, only to start actively playing and running around. While sugar is definitely something you should avoid giving your children for numerous other health reasons, there is in fact no scientific basis for a ‘sugar high’ at all.
The Evidence – A Trick of the Mind?
A 1994 study in the Journal for Abnormal Child Psychology observed a group of 35 boys, aged between 5 and 7, all of whose mothers said they were behaviourally sensitive to sugar. Some of the mothers were informed that their sons had been given large doses of sugar and the rest were told their boys were in the placebo group. In fact, all the children had been given placebos. The study found that the mothers who were told their children had been given sugar deemed them as significantly more hyperactive, when in fact, the children were not given any at all.
The other plausible reasoning for the association between sugar and hyperactivity among children is that typically, cakes and sweet treats are often given to kids on special occasions, when children are already excited. Observing the overly-enlivened behaviour of their children in such situations only reinforces the idea of a ‘sugar high’. There are various other research that proves that feeding your kids sugar does not make them hyper; what it does instead is trigger parents to pick out signs of misbehaviour.
Sugar, Sugar, Sugar
Let’s be clear, however: this is by no means a defense of sugar! Sugar is still definitely one of the major ills of the food industry for other reasons. It overworks your liver, increases cholesterol levels in your body, and does a poor job of filling you up, causing you to eat more. As a society, we are addicted to it and it has completely replaced fat as the most common reason behind obesity. However, it is important to be clear about distinguishing between actual health facts and mere myths when it comes to your child. Fret not, your child’s perceived sugar-ridden behaviour is likely just a projection from your worried parent mind (and completely understandably so).
Sarah Khan
Photo: Getty Images
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