- Between birthday parties, grandparents' houses, and even school celebrations, many of us try to limit our kids' sugar intake.

But what if I told you that sugar rush isn't real?

I'm Sheril Kirshenbaum, and on this episode of "Serving Up Science" we'll investigate whether our knowledge about sugar measures up to the scientific research behind the sweet stuff.

For me, this story begins on Halloween night.

As I watched my son indulge in his candy haul, I mentioned to a friend that I hoped all that sugar wouldn't have him bouncing off the walls.

To my surprise, my friend who happened to be a neuropsychologist shrugged off my concerns and said, "You know, sugar doesn't actually cause hyperactivity."

Like most parents, I've been conditioned to believe in a sugar hyperactivity connection.

After all, I've witnessed excess sugar effects in my own family or so I thought.

Avoiding sugar sugar-laden treats is common practice for a lot of us out there.

So I decided to dive into the scientific literature on sugar.

To my astonishment, I discovered the impossible.

It turns out there is no solid evidence linking sugar consumption to hyperactive behavior in kids.

Yes, you heard it right!

Okay, so just how did this well, myth around sugar begin?

It all started in 1922 when a paper looking for dietary causes of behavioral challenges initially proposed that sugar consumption could lead to a "neurotic child", which probably meant nervous, jittery, or hyperactive.

However, this theory received little attention until the 1970s, a time when more scientists joined the search for causes and treatments for ADHD or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Enter Dr. Ben Feingold, a pediatric allergist who wrote a book proposing that at least half of children diagnosed as hyperactive could be helped by eliminating foods like soft drinks and candy.

Incidentally, he also blamed many fruits, tea, winter green, and even cucumbers.

He believed sugar caused insulin and adrenaline spikes leading to you guessed it, hyperactivity.

And to most of us, sure.

That sounds like it makes sense, right?

Well, not quite.

Dr. Feingold's claims were largely based on anecdotal observations from his own practice rather than solid research.

So it wasn't long before other researchers began to poke holes in his ideas.

In 1983, a research review concluded that dietary modifications were questionable at best as treatments for excessive energy.

Three years later, another analysis found that studies on sugar's effects were inconsistent and inconclusive.

In some cases sugar even improved behavior rather than exacerbating it.

Then in 1994, a groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine debunked the concept of a sugar rush.

It was a double blind study so nobody knew who consumed real sugar, not even the scientists themselves.

Researchers then examine children ages 3 to 10 years old, closely monitoring their diets for three week periods.

After extensive blood work, behavioral assessments, and cognitive tests the verdict was in, sugar had no impact on behavior or cognitive function.

In fact, the study showed that sugar might even have a calming effect.

With such compelling evidence you'd think the case was closed, yet decades later the sugar hyperactivity myth lingers on.

"Why?"

you ask.

Cultural beliefs have a knack for sticking around and in the case of sugar we can also be influenced by our expectations based on familiar stories and anecdotes about the sweet stuff.

Joining me in the kitchen today is my resident sugar expert.

(gentle music) Welcome, Apollo.

Are you ready to get cooking?

- Yeah.

- We are going to make some chocolate chip cookies.

- [Apollo] Gooey.

- It is gooey.

Do you like sugar?

- Yes!

- Do you think that you should eat a lot of sugar?

- Yeah!

- Do mommy and daddy want you to have a lot of sugar?

- Yeah.

- Oh, okay.

And why do you think that mommy and daddy wants you to have a lot of sugar?

- Because it's so healthy.

- Oh!?

And what are your favorite things that have so much of that healthy sugar in them?

- Cotton candy!

Cotton candy!

- Why do you think some parents don't want their children to have a lot of sugar?

- Actually, I never heard someone say that.

- Oh!?

Do you feel like when you have birthday cake you feel very excited and energetic?

- Cake doesn't make me crazy or anything.

- Does any food make you crazy?

- Nothing for except cotton candy.

- Have you been reading the scientific literature?

- What's that?

- If you could have anything in the world for dessert, what would you pick?

- Cotton candy.

- I see, what color?

- It doesn't really taste different between the colors.

- Fair enough.

I think we're all set with our baking sheet.

So why don't you go wash up your hands and I will call you when the cookies are ready.

- Okay.

- You see, if we or our kids expect that the outcome of eating piles of candy and cookies will make us feel hyper, it might very well become a self-fulfilling prophecy what's known as the placebo effect.

Furthermore, energy level can be extremely influenced by our environment.

Think about the times when kids are most likely to be eating lots of sugar parties, holidays, vacations.

They're often special occasions when there's so much happening and so many reasons to feel excited and maybe act a little wild regardless of what we're eating.

And children can become excessively hyper for all sorts of other reasons too.

Caffeine and popular sports drinks, stress or trauma, chronic conditions like ADHD, or even simply due to poor sleep.

While grownups tend to feel overtired when we don't get enough shuteye, a lack of sleep can make children more likely to bounce around the room.

And some kids are just naturally little balls of energy.

I know mine are.

In other words, wacky behavior can also be a normal result of well, healthy growing kids, and that's okay too.

Now, I'm not here to be the sugar police, but let me be clear that according to the American Medical Association excessive sugar consumption can result in high blood pressure, diabetes, certain cancers, liver disease, and don't get me started on cavities.

While every body is different, the US Centers for Disease Control recommends no more than 200 calories from sugar in a 2000 calorie diet and most of us are getting much more.

So while the sugar rush is a myth there are valid health concerns, but hyperactivity isn't one of them.

(timer beeps) Apollo, cookies are done.

- I started running before you said that.

- Okay, well, which one would you like?

- [Apollo] This one?

- Okay.

- It's really good.

(gentle music)