Sugar does not make children hyperactive · Health and science

Where does this news come from?

A listener from Radio 1 asked the radio programme New Truths whether too much sugar makes her children hyperactive. After a children’s party, her children often return hyperkinetic and overstimulated. According to her, the ‘sugar rush’ is the culprit. Nutritionist Christophe Matthijs from KU Leuven says this is not true: ‘Many parents think their child is hyperactive because of sugar, but that is a myth.’ However, the myth of the ‘value of sugar’ continues to this day. Why is that and where does it come from?

Bro

(1) Rappé, M. No, sugar will not make your child hyperactive (and this is why the myth persists). VRT NWS. June 30, 2024.

How should you interpret this news?

Is sugar healthy or unhealthy?

There is no doubt that our body needs sugar as source of energy. Sugar ensures that our body cells can do their job. So we can’t live without it. too much sugar, on the other hand, is unhealthy. It leads to obesity, diabetes, heart and blood vessel diseases in tooth decay (caries) (2).

Feat of fable? Story!

A There is no such thing as a ‘sugar rush’: sugar makes children No hyperactive. The myth that sugar makes children hyperactive has been around since the 1920s, but it mainly comes from studies from the 1970s and 1980s. Then it was thought to contain sugar ADHD it could get worse. But newer and better studies have repeated this research and shown that sugar does not affect children’s behavior or performance (1, 3, 4).

What makes kids hyperactive after a party?

It is true that children often behave hyperactively after a busy children’s party. But that’s because of both – and story various motivations (1).

• Children often become more active after a party because they… enthusiastic They are about the party and playing with each other.
• she is to move A lot of.
• They are frequent extra tiredwhich can make them even more enthusiastic (1).

So the child is very motivated, but it has nothing to do with the sugar in the pancakes or the cake.

Avoid added sugar

Although sugar does not cause depression, it still does It is wise to avoid added, or ‘free’, sugars.. This includes, for example, the sugar that we put in coffee or tea and that agents add to the preparation of biscuits, soft drinks, etc. This is how you give your child less chance of obesity and tooth decay (caries).

The WHO recommends less than 10% of your daily energy needs from sugar free, even better less than 5% (2). Natural sugarlike those in fresh fruit and milk, on the other hand good source of sugar (1, 2). This applies to both children and adults.

Decision

Sugar does not make children hyperactive, despite what many parents think. Many good studies show that sugar has no effect on children’s behavior or performance. So the statement of nutritionist Christophe Matthijs is: Where. Children are often hyperactive after parties because of the combination of all kinds of stimulants that come with the Christmas spirit, and not because of sugar.

References