Is there any truth to the old adage that sugar leads to hyperactive children?
Ah, sugar. There are a lot of myths about this sweet substance. Most of what the public believes about sugar, however, is not true. Sugar does not cause hyperactivity. It is not addictive. It is not the only cause of cavities. It does not make people fat. And it does not cause diabetes. While it is a hotly debated topic among pediatricians, educators, and parents, there is no scientific evidence that sugar has any impact on children. In fact, says Alan Meyers, M.D., a pediatrician at Boston Medical Center and an associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, sugar intake that exceeds recommended daily dietary levels has no effect on a child’s behavior or cognition. Some children may have an idiosyncratic reaction to sugar, but this is not the norm. “It’s safe to say, based on scientific studies over the past 10 years, that there is no convincing evidence that sugar intake has a negative effect on children’s behavior,” he says. In a 1994 Vanderbilt University
