Is the sugar hyperactivity theory a myth?

so i started a thread about ADHD and someone brought up that he was hyper as a child by sugar consumption. io came across this article and wanted to get your opinion on it. is it a myth??

www.medicinenet.com...

reply to post by jaycen420


My grandmother use to perpetuate that myth.

Sugar will give your muscles a great and quit energy source but as far as making kids hyperactive.......myth.


However, anything that gets them outside running and jumping as opposed to a bedroom slug slave to Xbox, Wii, PS3, Ipods, texting, chatting.....etc is a good idea!!!

reply to post by jaycen420


No, it's not a myth. It's easy to demonstrate. We're not built to handle all the sugar in the typical American diet. It produces a cycle of hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia. We would never eat this much sugar if we didn't have this enormous technological civilization to produce these products. The people that run this country, and the world, are well aware of this principle. It's perpetuated in order to keep us dumbed down.

Nutrition and Behavior

reply to post by grizzle2


Hypo/hyperglycemia is an odd term to throw around for non-diabetics.

Our bodies can regulate blood glucose rapidly, this wouldn't effect long term behavior. If the normal persons body were in a persisted state of hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia, then it would be noticeable. However those not affected by Diabetes do not show these symptoms if homeostasis is maintained.

I'll just add that my wife has talked about this with me and said it is most definately a myth. Can't remember the details of the conversation though and she is in bed atm.

I believe her though as she is a neurologist by trade....

It's not that sugar causes hyperactivity, but that when one consumes sugar there is a subsequent spike in blood sugar, followed by an overcompensatory spike in insulin. Eventually, the insulin lowers blood sugar too far, causing hypoglycemia (sluggishness, dizziness and shaking...lack of energy).

Hypo activity can be the cause from any number of foods......

although it's claimed sugar and food colourings (some of those food colourings derived from beetles) top the list but so can preservatives & additives, gluten, casien, etc.....thats called food intolerence.

Not all hypo active kids and adults have ADHD and not all with lack of concentration have ADD.

My bet is, and I'll take it all the way to the bank, all children and adults suffer from some type of food intolerance while some are in fact allergic to some type of foods ie gluten, casien, eggs, nuts, fish, meat, fruit are among the biggest culprits.

Every person is different and whats not good for one does'nt mean it's not good for others even in moderation.

reply to post by jaycen420


There's a problem with the research. People saying sugar causes hyperactivity may be just as wrong as people saying it don't.

For example, most people quote the research published by Daniel Hoover and Richard Milich in 1994. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22501-515. Which I think I found online but they wanted money for the PDF. Anyway you can search for it yourself and find it eventually or if I eventually find it I'll post a link.

Anyway, one of the problems is that when most people quote the research they quote an experiment where they selected 30 boys and split them into two groups. They didn't give EITHER group any sugar.