No such thing as a "sugar rush"

[KickHimInTheCrotch]

My DS (10) just told me that a number of his friends claim to be having a "sugar rush" after eating sweets/chocolate etc and run about being "hyper". I've never believed in the concept of a sugar rush and so have never suggested to my DC that it would have this effect on them. I know other parents that strongly believe in it and attribute certain behaviour in younger children is due to sugar and limit their DCs sugar intake for this reason. Presumably the DC are then behaving in the expected way by being "hyper".

I've just had a quick Google and can see that there are plenty of articles that support my POV although not necessarily conclusive on scientific grounds.

Obviously I limit my DCs sugar intake for health reasons including obesity and dental health but behaviour just isn't a factor for me.

AIBU to tell my DC that there's no such thing as a sugar rush. Do you have experience of sugar conclusively affecting behaviour in children?

So for those that say it affects them/their children it is likely that this is due to perception based on expectations (either for the parent or the child). Not what is really happening?

In my DSs example his friends have been told that they behave differently after sugar so are following through with expected behaviour.

It's genuinely fascinating. I think sugar is such an emotive subject for modern parents.

I don't really believe in it either. I think sugar is more likely to cause an insulin release so that blood sugar drops quickly and causes a slump.

My DC do get more energetic after eating if they've been hungry/tired prior but I think that's just food full stop. DP interprets it as a sugar rush though (if sugar has been involved). I think food just perks them up.

My DP reacts to Hairdo like they are cocaine (he doesn't snort them... he just goes manic).

sugar rush is like saying coffee will keep you awake it dont keep me awake.

When your diet is TRULY low in sugar, the affects of a mega dose definitely happen. In an adult that can be headache, foggy head and raised heart beat. Kids I can imagine don't suppress the natural urge to burn off the extra energy suddenly in their body.

My son used to react to certain things in sugary treats, whether he was at a party or not. Maybe not a sugar rush though!
Bizarrely Coca Cola would have the opposite effect and calm him down. He finds the same with coffee now - sometimes has a good strong coffee to help him sleep 😂

There was a study done, about 20 years ago, where they took a large group of 3 year olds, a party scenario, so games, food, prizes, etc...and gave half of them high sugar "treat foods", cake, sweets, sweetened juice etc..and half of them carrot/cucumber sticks, hummous, etc...They asked the parents to feed back on how they rated their child's behaviour and ability to sleep afterwards.
They were told which group their child was allotted to.

There was an overwhelming correlation to food group/ behaviour outcomes, ie the high sugar group were reported to be hyperactive and have trouble settling and sleeping, with very little adverse hyperactivity in the "hummous/ cucumber" group.

Except that they'd swapped the groups around. The "high sugar" diet children had the hummous and vice versa.

Obviously not statistically significant, but interesting nonetheless.

So l have chronic fatigue. I used the Visible app which tracks heart rate.

Sometimes if l ate sugar, my heart rate would go right up. And stay up for 2 hours. Also realised l was shaking slightly at these times.

I never believed in sugar rushes either. But seeing that dramatic increase in heart rate kind of changed my mind.

Yes it’s bs. It’s asking to suggesting that putting more petrol in a tank will make a car go faster. The effect is psychological in that lots of sugar tends to be consumed in stimulating settings.

My adhd son definitely has a sugar rush. Its not all sweets but some. Assume it isnt the sugar definitively, but some sort of combinations of colourings and additives.
There is some evicedence about getting dopamine hits from eating sweet foods. In children with adhd this will be like a boost to their brain chemistry.
I would say that a sugar rush, or boost of uncontrollable energy, is a thing for some kids but not others. Depending on their brain chemistry.
Sugar is knoen to alter brain chemistry, triggering a dopamine hit. If you are adhd then dopamine is low anyway so it is like a drug hit.
Sugar can be addicitive too.
I didnt beleieve in any of this stuff until I had a kid with adhd and started looking into it.
I don't think everyone will have a sugar rush after sugar, but some kids definitely do.

Seems to be yet another load of nonsense copied from america.
People said it on the telly in US comedies and dramas and viewers here followed like sheep.

Agreed. You get a quick burst of energy ( the rush) followed by fatigue and lethargy a bit later. So our bodies crave more sugar. Rinse and repeat

Witnessed it with both my children, worse with my son. Worst is white chocolate - you can see within minutes that my children's behaviour goes wild!
The effect of processed sugar on a child can be slightly offset by what they are eating ie have it after a meal or with milk/yoghurt to slow down the sugar reaching the blood stream.

I experience sugar rush and crashes
not diabetic
if I eat a lot of sugar for example a share bag of maltesers all to myself I feel lightheaded, sweaty etc, it’s not a bad feeling,
if I hadn’t eaten for a while I would feel light headed, dizzy, find it more difficult to think clearly and co ordinate -

I’ve never been able to do intermittent fasting because of this,

so I am definitely sensitive to sugar changes in my bloodstream, without being diabetic -

interestingly this is not a problem now i am on Mounjaro !

Also, seen kids behaviour change when having a quantity of sugary sweets like haribo’s

having worked with youth groups

There was a programme on it once, showing that it was just a myth and that the children on the 'sugar high' were reacting to their environment. I can't remember the name of it now.

Yet mine wasn’t.

I was sat on the sofa at home quietly eating a big bar of chocolate.

20 minutes later the app started beeping as my heart rate was up. The aim of the app is to keep your heart rate below 120 to conserve energy.

Interestingly l didn’t get notifications on my Apple Watch. So l wouldn’t have known. But the app tracks you every second. And there was a huge jump.

Yea , exactly. It’s a load of rubbish .

I also get sugar rushes. I think the famous study called into doubt parent's ability to judge a sugar rush in their children, rather than debunking the idea of a sugar rush itself.

@GoldDusteryes sugary foods release dopamine as do many other good tasting foods. As can activities ranging from exercising to shopping and gambling and many others. That’s separate from what people describe as a “sugar rush” though which study after study has failed to prove.

For those who feel light headed and weak etc if they don’t eat, try cutting sugar out of your diet. Doing so often eliminates these feelings and reduces cravings.

My DS doesn't have a sugar rush as such but he has a rush after ANY food. Within 15-20 minutes of eating, he is bouncing off the walls and his behaviour deteriorates. Doesn't matter if that's chocolate cake, chicken nuggets or a pile of broccoli. All food seems to give him a surge of energy.

I used to drink fanta twist after school when I was around 11 or 12.. it did indeed make me high as a kite!

I have a bad reaxtion to sugar. Sugar dumping. I get dizzy, sweaty, fast heart rate etc

This.. I get a fast feeling energy and feel the fast heart beat. Feels like my brain works quicker too