Health questions: Does sugar make children hyperactive?
It's commonly believed that eating sugar puts children on a 'high'. But what does the science say about the issue?
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"Don't give your children sugar or they'll be bouncing off the walls." If you are a parent, this warning probably sounds familiar.
It's a common belief that sugar puts children on a "high", causing them to be overactive and even experience mood swings and behave irrationally.
According to the US National Institutes of Health, however, more research is needed in order to prove that sugar causes hyperactivity in children. So far, most studies do not show a correlation between the two.
"A change in diet over the generations has been blamed for an increase in autism and attention-deficit hyperactive disorder," says Brian Leung, a chiropractic kinesiologist from the Integrated Medicine Institute.