The “myth” of sugar and ADHD in children

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The idea that sugar is the cause of ADHD in children dates back to the 1970s, when California pediatrician Benjamin Feingold proposed that food additives and sugar could affect children’s behavior. Since then, the idea has become popular among many parents and has gained attention in the media and popular culture. However, no scientific research has been able to prove the truth of this theory, as reported in an article recorded in the scientific magazine “The Conversation”.

If all studies agree that children’s ideal sugar intake should be no more than 10% of their total energy needs in order to prevent certain diseases, then the link between sugar and ADHD in children is equally true. Urban legend.

“Neuroimaging”

Excess sugar is particularly harmful to children’s physical and cognitive development, recalled Dr. Amy Reichelt, a nutritional neuroscientist at the University of Adelaide in Australia, in the article. The scholar cited “neuroimaging” studies that showed that children whose diets are rich in high-sugar packaged foods have reduced volume in certain brain areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for complex functions such as planning, reasoning and emotion regulation.

Paradoxically, this is therefore a much more serious risk than “simple” hyperactivity or inattention. Scientists say that the intake of foods rich in sugars also undermines other, potentially more nutritious foods: it is no coincidence that the World Health Organization recommends reducing energy consumption from free sugars to less than 10%. “Substances added to foods during manufacturing or naturally present in foods such as honey or fruit juices”. The methods used in Feingold’s study were flawed because they did not include appropriate control conditions, unlike recent studies with placebo groups in children, which ruled out a link between sugar consumption, hyperactivity and attention deficits in children. What, then, is the cause of the “euphoric effect” that some children experience after consuming sweet foods, as empirically found? Possibly – and here too there is no definitive evidence – it is dopamine. This neurotransmitter is released when the brain expects and receives a reward. Therefore, if “sugar” is perceived by the child as a form of reward, obtaining it may have a stimulating effect, increasing activity and movement. The same phenomenon may occur with other forms of “rewards”, even non-ingestible ones, such as playing games or fun activities together.