Sugar High or Sugar Lie?
It is popular belief among many parents that giving children sugar is one of the ways to cause a cataclysmic burst of uncontained energy, often resulting in screaming, running children and crying, helpless adults. One candy bar too many and little Suzy is going to be sprinting up and down the stairs with excitement that only time can save Mom and Dad from. However, this mythological sugar high is exactly that – a myth. Sugar hasn’t transformed the once calm Suzy into a hybrid of the Energizer Bunny and a punk band on speed. Her surroundings have.
It is popular belief among many parents that giving children sugar is one of the ways to cause a cataclysmic burst of uncontained energy, often resulting in screaming, running children and crying, helpless adults. One candy bar too many and little Suzy is going to be sprinting up and down the stairs with excitement that only time can save Mom and Dad from. However, this mythological sugar high is exactly that – a myth. Sugar hasn’t transformed the once calm Suzy into a hybrid of the Energizer Bunny and a punk band on speed. Her surroundings have.
As it turns out, there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that giving children sugar will result in these increased energy levels. Rather than the sugar itself, it is the environmental factors – what Catherine Fiorello calls the covariates – that contribute to the increased energy levels of children when they have sugar. Sugar doesn’t make kids hyper; instead, it is more important to note what is happening in the child’s life when sugar becomes a factor. Oftentimes, sugar is handed out as a special treat, something reserved for when friends come to play, holidays, or birthday parties. Suzy isn’t excited because you gave her a chocolate bar. She’s excited because her friend is over. However, because these instances so often coincide with sugar consumption, parents tend to assume that it is the sugar rather than the joy over spending time with a friend or the excitement of a birthday party that has rocketed their children into a state of hyperactivity.
For another example of this, check out: http://health.ninemsn.com.au/whatsgoodforyou/theshow/693949/does-sugar-make-children-go-hyper
