Most parents would read this bit and snort derisively, but sugar really doesn't cause hyperactivity in kids or adults or anyone else. Turns out that it's all in the mind. Double blind trials (those are the ones in which neither the researchers or the test subjects know who is getting the sugar and who is getting a placebo) showed that when all knowledge of who has eaten sugar is taken away, so are the effects of hyperactivity. To take it one step further, a group of researchers ran a study in which they told the parents that they were giving the kids sugar, but actually gave them aspartame, a sugar substitute. They found that the parents still perceived hyperactive behaviour in their kids even though no one had eaten any sugar. It was found that it was actually the parents' behaviour that changed, as they became more controlling, critical and irritable with their children when they thought they were being hyperactive. There is also the possibility that kids are often given large amounts of sugar in an already exciting context, such as a birthday party, where they would be running around, shrieking and generally being a shrill menace anyway. It's still not a great idea to load your kids up on sugar, it can still cause obesity, diabetes and tooth decay - just not hyperactivity.
