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Another oldie but goodie from our list of 20 Health Myths. This myth, that’s right, myth has been around since the first sweet was made and the first time a mother realised that it was too good for her kids and that there was something that she couldn’t share with her kids. Enough studies have been carried out to prove that “sugar makes kids hyper” is not just a myth, it is a myth perpetuated entirely by mothers. Studies have been carried out to show that even if mothers think that their kids are in the sugar-group, they notice a change in their kids’ behaviour.

Read the Previous Myth: Cracking Your Knuckles Causes Arthritis

Read the Next Myth: Thin People Are Healthy

The British Medical Journal reported:

At least 12 double blind randomised controlled trials have examined how children react to diets containing different levels of sugar. None of these studies, not even studies looking specifically at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, could detect any differences in behaviour between the children who had sugar and those who did not. This includes sugar from sweets, chocolate, and natural sources. Even in studies of those who were considered “sensitive” to sugar, children did not behave differently after eating sugar full or sugar-free diets.

In a study in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, scientists found that the belief of a difference in their kids’ behaviour is entirely in the parents’ mind. In the study, mother-son teams were split into two groups – one was told that their kids were being given an extra-sugary drink and the other, a drink sweetened with aspartame. The reality was that both were given the artificial sweetener drink. The mothers were then filmed playing with their kids. Not surprisingly, the mothers who thought their kids were getting the sugary drink believed that their kids were definitely more hyper.

Moral of the story: Don’t necessarily let your kids run riot with the sweet stuff. But, if you do believe that your kids are behaving a lot wilder than they ought to, you’ll have to look for another reason… like maybe the kids in the neighbourhood, the kids at school, that particular kid at school… you know the one. That’s right… it’s his fault.

Picture Courtesy: Johnny Jet