Myth Or Real – Does Sugar Cause Hyperactivity In Children
Know about hyperactivity and the effects of sugar on it
With hyperactivity in children being considered more a disorder than a healthy sign, it proves most important for parents to understand what hyperactivity is and how different circumstances can aggravate or lessen it. Understanding hyperactivity, it is the increased physical activity, high distractibility, increased degree of impulsiveness, and low degree of attention span. It is to be observed that such children are less productive both in school, in work as adults and at home.
There is a popular yet controversial finding that sugar, artificial sweeteners and certain colorings used in food that cause hyperactivity. So it is contended that hyperactive children be given a diet that is limited in sugar, sugar substitutes, artificial colors and flavorings. It is further to be realized that refined sugar has a tremendous effect on the hyperactivity of a child, as these sugars and refined carbohydrates have the property to cause rapid fluctuations in the blood sugar levels that makes a child excessively active.
However you as a parent would find that children have varied activity levels, with older children being less hyperactive and having a longer attention span than younger children and each child having an increased attention span for activities they love doing. An additional factor is the tolerance level of parents, with parents having more patience in the morning times than at bedtime. Hence there is a great controversy regarding does sugar cause hyperactivity in children.
Lets have a look at the controversy
Some experts that include child and adolescent psychiatrists are of the opinion that that it is not sugar alone in a childs diet that causes hyperactivity, but this has turned into a misconception with parents finding their children hyperactive after special occasions like birthday parties, children parties and so on. They are of the opinion that it is not only the sugary snacks and drinks that are served in such occasions that lead to hyperactivity, but it is the very nature of these occasions being full of excitement and fun that causes this hyperactive behavior.
So it is more of the parents preconceived notion that are formed with observation of past behavior. Experts however found that the modern children got too much sugar in their diet, but cutting back on sugar would not address behavioral problems like hyperactivity. It should however be noted that this does not mean that sugary foods like sweets, artificially flavored drinks, sodas, aerated and caffeine drinks can be taken as per will, for the stimulation in events that these drinks are taken in large quantities itself leads to hyperactive behavior. In addition cutting down of sugar helped for long term prevention of various lifestyle health problems and diseases. Professional help regarding diet changes required for real hyperactive children that disrupted normal life at school or home.
However a parent that cares for the all-round health development of a child and wants to see the child health would consider lowering the sugar in his/her diet. This is firstly due the high sugar in certain foods being the culprit for early dental problems like tooth cavity and decay. Next it is useful to look at one more important aspect regarding sugary foods; these foods have lesser minerals and vitamins and would take the place of more nutritious and healthy foods that have fewer calories and would also help get over the problem of obesity that is the want of sugary and starchy foods.
It would be better to satisfy the sweet tooth with oatmeal, shredded wheat, berries, bananas, whole-grain pancakes for breakfast and whole-grain breads, peaches, grapes, and other fresh fruits for lunch; these foods would also give the fiber in the diet that helps keep adrenaline levels more constant.
As a last word, it would be best to say that having known does sugar causes hyperactivity in children, it would be best to add that cultivating habits in such children to be calm like other children would help remove most of the problems faced due to hyperactivity.