Scientist suggests sugar is not responsible for hyperactivity in children

By Staff Writer

A psychology professor believes that there is no direct correlation between sugar intake and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. He does, however, see a psychological effect in which children associate sugary snacks with a less regulated atmosphere.

In a guest column for the Washington Post, the professor, who is also a cognitive scientist, said that there is a misperception among many parents who think sugar causes their kids to act aggressively. He cites studies that show some children start to act out after consuming sugar because their parents expected bad behavior.

He added that some parents misattribute the rowdy behavior to sugar intake when sometimes it is the unstructured setting that leads to over-stimulation. Common environments where sugary substances are plentiful are birthday parties, amusement parks and family outings.

These situations are typically less controlled than most of the child's other activities, so the excitement and novelty of the environment can cause hyperactivity.

According to ScienceDaily.com, a study in the Journal of Health Economics reveals that nearly 1 million kids in the U.S. are potentially misdiagnosed with ADHD. Researchers found that the youngest child in a particular kindergarten classroom may be incorrectly diagnosed and prescribed medication because he or she is more immature than older students.