Is it true that…eating too much sugar can make you hyperactive? | food

IIt’s a warning passed down through generations: Give a child too much candy and it will bounce off the walls. But is there any scientific evidence that sugar causes us to be overactive? Not yet, says Amanda Avery, associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at the University of Nottingham.

She says there are theories linking sugar to behavioral changes. One of them stems from how sugar activates the body’s reward system, triggering a surge of dopamine — the “feel good” neurotransmitter. “Increases in dopamine levels can be linked to behavioral changes, which can include periods of hyperactivity,” Avery says.

Another theory focuses on how eating too much sugar can cause blood sugar levels to rise and then fall quickly, known as reactive hypoglycemia. This can cause behavioral changes, some of which can be interpreted as hyperactivity.

There is little evidence to prove these theories though. Not least because hyperactivity – outside of its clinical context as a symptom of ADHD – is subjective: “What one parent might call hyperactivity, another might see as just hyperactivity.”

research It has only been found so far Limited links Between sugar intake and hyperactive behavior, especially among children diagnosed with ADHD. The strongest links are seen with sweetened drinks that contain seven or eight teaspoons of sugar in one serving, which also contain additives and caffeine, making it difficult to isolate sugar as the culprit. Some studies conducted on animals – not humans – have shown that… Feeding high-sugar diets Early in life they were more likely to show hyperactivity later.

So, does sugar make us hyperactive? So far, this has not been proven. However, Avery says, most of us eat more sugar than is healthy, and we should try to cut back.