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Home › Articles › Special Needs Kids › The Dietary Connection

The Dietary Connection

Can Sugars and Food Additives Contribute to Learning and Behavior Disorders?

By Kelly Burgess

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Sugar and Hyperactivity
It's a pretty common joke: Someone gives your child a cookie and says, "Now that I've got him all sugared up, you can take him home and try to put him to bed." The implication is that the sugar will make the child so hyperactive that the parent won't be able to get him to settle down. But is this true?

According to Dr. Barrett, the answer is no, and he has some solid research behind his claims. In February 1994, results of a study examining this issue, funded by the National Institutes of Health, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Two groups of children, one group considered sensitive to sugar and the other a control group, were fed a variety of carefully calibrated diets, including one high in sugar. The results showed that the higher-than-normal sugar regimen had no significant effect on either group of children.

Later research conducted by Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., research scientist in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has shown that sugar actually has a calming effect on both children and adults. This may be why a person who is stressed out often reaches for a cookie rather than a carrot.

So what causes this perception many adults have that sugar causes kids to go wild? The answer, according to Wurtman, Dr. Barrett and most other experts is simple: Take a look at the situations in which kids get sugary treats. Usually, it's at a celebration or special occasion. Giving a child a couple of cookies and a glass of milk before bed isn't likely to rile her up, but taking her out to an exciting family gathering or party where there are other children running around and people having unstructured fun and give her those two cookies. She's likely to be wound up afterward. But don't blame the cookies; blame the excitement. The same holds true with classroom parties or social gatherings with peers. It's the situation, not the food.


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