Does sugar make kids hyper?
No.
There have been more than a dozen scientific studies demonstrating that sugar does not make kids hyper. There isn’t a biological explanation for a “sugar high,” and there have been controlled studies showing sugar doesn’t in and of itself impact children’s energy levels.
Then why do so many parents believe sugar causes hyperactivity?
This is an enduring myth because parents often see their children excited at parties where they eat cake and candy or drink soda. Research suggests this excitement is actually due to the party itself, not the sugar.
Why should I trust you?
In doing thorough research on this topic, we found these to be the most useful and factual sources. We recommend reading them if you’d like more in-depth information:
- “Effects of Diets High in Sucrose or Aspartame on The Behavior and Cognitive Performance of Children” in The New England Journal of Medicine.
- “Does Sugar Make Kids Hyper?” by Live Science.
- “Busting the Sugar-Hyperactivity Myth” on WebMD.
- “Effects of sugar ingestion expectancies on mother-child interactions” in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
- “Sugar doesn’t make kids hyper, and other parenting myths,” from Science News.
Re-posting this comment from Franziska Gerdenfeld, which was lost when we moved our site to a new server this week:
“Hi! While I was working in the UK I heard another version of this that “E-Numbers make kids hyper”. Everyone seemed very sure about it – but I have never heard about this in Germany. Any idea where this might come from?”
We had never heard of e-numbers, but apparently this is a hot-button issue in the UK. A controversial study there apparently claimed to have linked some artificial food colorings to hyperactivity, though it sounds like it used some questionable methodology. Other regulators in other countries are apparently unconcerned.