Nina,
It's common misperception that sugar intake causes hyperactivity in children
- both in ADHD children and non-ADHD children. But not true. Here are two
references examining this myth:
UI - 96074264
AU - Wolraich ML
AU - Wilson DB
AU - White JW
IN - Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University
Child-Development Center, Nashville, TN 37232-3573, USA.
TI - The effect of sugar on behavior or cognition in children. A
meta-analysis. [see comments].
SO - JAMA 1995 Nov 22-29;274(20):1617-21
AB - OBJECTIVE--To examine the effects of sugar on the behavior or
cognition of children by using meta-analytic techniques on reported
studies. DATA SOURCES--Studies were identified through a literature
search of the MEDLINE and PsychINFO databases and the authors' files
using sugar, sucrose, and attention deficit disorder as the search
terms. STUDY SELECTION--Studies were required to (1) intervene by
having the subjects consume a known quantity of sugar, (2) use a
placebo (artificial sweetener) condition (3) blind the subjects,
parents, and research staff to the conditions; and (4) report
statistics that could be used to compute the dependent measures
effect sizes. DATA EXTRACTION--Variables included publication year,
study setting, subject type and number, gender, age, sugar and
placebo type and dose, prior dietary condition, measurement
construct, means and SDs for the sugar and placebo conditions, and
direction of effect. DATA SYNTHESIS--Sixteen reports met the
inclusion criteria for a total of 23 within-subject design studies.
The weighted mean effect size and related statistics for each of the
14 measurement constructs revealed that although the range for these
means was from -0.14 for direct observations and up to +0.30 for
academic tests, the 95% confidence interval for all 14 mean effect
sizes included 0. CONCLUSION--The meta-analytic synthesis of the
studies to date found that sugar does not affect the behavior or
cognitive performance of children. The strong belief of parents may
be due to expectancy and common association. However, a small effect
of sugar or effects on subsets of children cannot be ruled out.
UI - 96362571
AU - Krummel DA
AU - Seligson FH
AU - Guthrie HA
IN - West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown.
TI - Hyperactivity: is candy causal?. [Review] [57 refs]
SO - Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition 1996
Jan;36(1-2):31-47
AB - Adverse behavioral responses to ingestion of any kind of candy
have been reported repeatedly in the lay press. Parents and teachers
alike attribute excessive motor activity and other disruptive
behaviors to candy consumption. However, anecdotal observations of
this kind need to be tested scientifically before conclusions can be
drawn, and criteria for interpreting diet behavior studies must be
rigorous. Ingredients in nonchocolate candy (sugar, artificial food
colors), components in chocolate candy (sugar, artificial food
colors in coatings, caffeine), and chocolate itself have been
investigated for any adverse effects on behavior. Feingold theorized
that food additives (artificial colors and flavors) and natural
salicylates caused hyperactivity in children and elimination of
these components would result in dramatic improvement in behavior.
Numerous double-blind studies of the Feingold hypothesis have led to
the rejection of the idea that this elimination diet has any benefit
beyond the normal placebo effect. Although sugar is widely believed
by the public to cause hyperactive behavior, this has not been
scientifically substantiated. Twelve double-blind,
placebo-controlled studies of sugar challenges failed to provide any
evidence that sugar ingestion leads to untoward behavior in children
with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or in normal children.
Likewise, none of the studies testing candy or chocolate found any
negative effect of these foods on behavior. For children with
behavioral problems, diet-oriented treatment does not appear to be
appropriate. Rather, clinicians treating these children recommend a
multidisciplinary approach. The goal of diet treatment is to ensure
a balanced diet with adequate energy and nutrients for optimal
growth. [References: 57]
Sherry Ferguson, Ph.D
Research Psychologist
National Center for Toxicological Research/FDA
3900 NCTR Road
Jefferson, AR 72079
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