Busting the myth: Sugar rushes in children aren’t real

Are you sure that sweets, chocolates, ice cream and sodas are behind your child’s wild and unruly behaviour? Despite what you may have heard, the concept of a “sugar rush” in children is a myth.

What is a sugar rush?

A sugar rush is an old term for feeling happy and energetic after eating large amounts of sugary foods. Many parents believe large amounts of sugar cause children to become hyperactive, yet numerous studies have shown that sugar is actually not responsible for hyperactivity.

What exactly is sugar?

Sugar is a substance that your body uses to generate energy and is found in various foods, including healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and cereals.

Sugar is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream after eating and then transported by your body to your muscles and organs, where it is converted into energy.

Your body does not use all of the sugar you consume at once. Instead, it maintains a constant sugar level in your blood – neither too much nor too little – and stores the remaining sugar for when the body needs it.

This means that your muscles and organs only use the appropriate amounts of sugar to generate energy when needed.

How did scientists discover sugar rushes aren’t real?

Several studies have been conducted in the last ten years to investigate the effects of sugar on children’s behaviour.

The results of all of these studies were analysed and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found that sugar did not affect the behaviour of  children. However, the authors did point out that the studies did not completely rule out the possibility that sugar had a minor effect on a small number of children.

What about a sugar crash?

Unfortunately, a “sugar crash” is a real thing. Some researchers have investigated what happens to your body after eating a lot of sugar. They discovered that excessive amounts of sugary foods could cause a sudden drop in energy in both adults and children (about an hour after consuming sugar).

With this drastic drop in energy, the body can experience undesired symptoms such as:

• hunger
• irritability
• fatigue
• discomfort
• anxiety
• headaches
• difficulty concentrating
• excess sweat
• jitters
• shakiness
• dizziness

So, rather than experiencing a “sugar rush,” science suggests eating too much sugar makes children feel worse afterwards.

Sugar is still bad for children

While a sugar rush is a myth, sugar is still bad for kids. Sugary diets can lead to diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and a variety of other health issues, so it’s important to limit the amount of sugar your child consumes.