Sugar Makes you Hyper - Debunked!

2022-11-20T03:04:00.003-08:00

Who doesn't love a little sugar? For decades, our parents and media all over have made us believe that

sugar has made us hyper and overexcited.

What if I tell you, this is a medical myth just waiting to be busted, and sugar has actually no real effect

on being hyperactive and it is all just a placebo effect?

A 1973 study by an allergist Benjamin Feingold, M.D., supported a diet free of sugar, artificial flavoring,

and food coloring to treat hyperactivity, after which parents and media advocated the myth that

sugar causes hyperactivity.

An explanation about sugar leading to hyperactivity was also backed by the assumption that sugar

spikes blood glucose, an effect of hyperglycemia. However, symptoms of hyperglycemia do not

indicate hyperactivity.

A 1994 double-blind research study, where families were put on different diets for three-week time

periods indicated that the cognitive and behavioral effects of children could not be attributed to the

consumption of sugar.

It is the parental expectation of their children that sugar causes hyperactivity which leads to them

observing the same. For example, kids at a party are bound to have sugary snacks, surrounded by

relaxed behavioral rules and activities for enjoyment. The environment is bound to get kids to

be hyperactive and energized, and the parent’s belief that their children would be hyperactive

after sugar consumption actually leads to the placebo.

Similarly, the media has an important role to play in the perception of sugar being connected to

hyperactivity, from cartoons to series to movies, the audio-visual representation of sugar and its

effects has led people to believe that sugar hyperactivity is a fact.

Anything done in excess is unhealthy and has negative effects. Similarly, the studies do not mean

that sugar doesn’t have a negative effect on the body, excess consumption of sugar will lead to

obesity, tooth decay, blood pressure, etc.

Bhav Says