I have heard that sugar and sugary foods cause hyperactivity in toddlers. My toddler is hyperactive so I avoid giving him sweets and other sugary stuff but still he is hyperactive. Need help.
Diet and hyperactivity are related but there is no concrete proof for this. It is observed that hyperactive kids are sensitive to certain foods and if a dietary change is made, and then there is a positive response. So it may be that sugary foods lead to hyperactivity as sugars provide instant energy.
I am a doctor and I know pretty well some of the reasons of hyperactivity. Hyperactivity due to food can be due to different reasons such as having allergy to that food. Symptoms of hyperactivity will disappear when specific food allergens are excluded from the diet. There is evidence that artificial food dyes and some preservatives might trigger hyperactive behaviour. An excess of sugar in the diet has been observed to be a cause of behavioural problems, such as irritability, anxiety, violent behaviour and fatigue.
• The actual reason for sugar causing hyperactivity is that the foods that contain large amounts of sugar, such as soft drinks, candies and other sweet manufactured foods, also contain artificial food colours and preservatives. These are responsible for the hyperactive behaviour, not the sugar. In addition, a diet high in commercial snack foods and drinks with a great deal of sugar and processed starches tends to lead to a lack of “whole foods”, often resulting in nutritional deficiency, especially of essential vitamins and minerals. Sugar has the effect of making a person feel lethargic because it promotes the production of serotonin, the “sleep chemical”, in the brain. So sugar is never the culprit.