Do sweets really make you hyperactive? Do you agree with your wife who prevents your children from eating a lot of sweets? Do you believe the warning passed down through generations: Give your child too many sweets, and he will go crazy? Is there any scientific evidence that sugar causes us to be hyperactive?
There is no conclusive scientific evidence, but it is beneficial for all of us to reduce our intake of sweets.
“There are theories linking sugar to behavioral changes,” Dr. Amanda Avery, associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at the University of Nottingham, told The Guardian. One of them stems from how sugar activates the body’s reward system, stimulating the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of happiness.
“Increased dopamine levels can be linked to behavioral changes, which may include periods of hyperactivity,” she adds.
Another theory focuses on the fact that eating too much sugar may cause a sharp rise in blood glucose levels and then a rapid decline, which is known as reactive hypoglycemia. This can cause behavioral changes, some of which can be interpreted as hyperactivity.
Insufficient evidence
But there is not enough evidence to prove these theories. Not least of all is that hyperactivity – outside of its medical context as a symptom of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder – is relative, as Dr. Amanda says: “What one parent may call hyperactivity, another may see as just activity.”
Research to date has found only limited links between sugar intake and hyperactive behavior, especially among children already diagnosed with ADHD.
The strongest associations appear with sweetened beverages that contain 7 or 8 teaspoons of sugar per serving, which also contain additives and caffeine, making it difficult to isolate sugar as a culprit.
Some studies in animals – not humans – showed that those who ate high-sugar diets early in life were more likely to show hyperactivity later.
So, does sugar make us hyperactive? So far, this has not been proven. However, Amanda says most of us eat more sugar than is healthy, and we should try to cut down.