Eli5: Do we actually get sugar highs and sugar rushes as kids or was that just myths?
In: Chemistry
A myth.
Sugar has effects on our blood sugar (as carbohydrates do in general) and these states are called hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) and hypoglycemic (low blood sugar). Neither make you hyperactive or give you a “rush”. Many, many studies have been carries out on this, attempting to find a link, and none have ever found a relation between hyperactivity and sugary foods.
Interestingly, the myth is so commonly believed, that parents of children will report their children as acting more erratic and “hyper” if they think they’ve had sugar, when they actually did not. The placebo effect is a powerful thing, even vicariously.
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