The Washington Post (11/6, Butler) reports that “more than a dozen double-blind research trials on children’s diets — both from candy and chocolate and from natural sources — has failed to find any behavioral differences between those young people who consume sugar and those who don’t. That’s even true for kids with” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Pediatrician Ivor Horn, MD, MPH, of Children’s National Medical Center, explained that “environmental and social factors surrounding sugar-centric events or holidays may also contribute to the madness and a general uptick in a child’s activity level.” Other “experts have speculated that other ingredients in candy and sugary snacks, such as food dyes, artificial preservatives and other additives, may also play a role in hyperactivity, especially for certain children.”
Related Links:
— “Sugar may not be the only reason your kid is hyper after Halloween, “Carolyn Butler, The Washington Post, November 5, 2012.