Daniel Rutter on the myth that sugar itself causes hyperactivity in children:
Yes, your doctor is right. There’s no such thing as a sugar rush. Sugar is not a stimulant, whether it’s glucose, sucrose, the High-Fructose Corn Syrup that continues to rain stickily down on the entire population of North America, or any of the other sweet-tasting whatever-oses.
My wife, a pediatrician, has ranted about this for some time. As Rutter notes, sweets create a placebo effect. The effect, however, often happens to the parent, not the child.
That said, I’ll probably continue to act obnoxious when eating a cupcake.