By Brian Carnell

Tuesday, January 8, 2002

There is a widely held view that giving foods high in sugar, such as candy, to children and adults can create a "sugar buzz" -- a period of hyperactivity. It turns out, though, that this is largely a myth.

And it is a myth that has a likely identifiable beginning. According to Duke University medical psychologist Richard Surwit, this myth like began during World War II when the U.S. government rationed food. According to Surwit, at the time there were sugar shortages and so the government told people that eating too much sugar contributed to hyperactivity.

Surwit says that although sugar might not be that good for you, it produces the same effects as rice, potatoes and other simple carbohydrates (and, as writer Sarah Avery points out, who ever heard of a potato buzz?)

Which is not to say that candy might not promote hyperactivity, but that it is not the sugar. Chocolate, for example, contains caffeine as do many soft drinks. "There are things in sweets that might give you a buzz, but it isn't sugar," Surwit told the Raleigh News & Observer.

Source:

Duke University researchers dispels 'sugar buzz' myth. Sarah Avery, Raleigh News & Observer, December 20, 2001.

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