Many parents believe that eating any type of sugar causes hyperactivity in children, although this theory remains unproved, according to Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician writing on the medical-information website DrGreene.com. However, if your child has fructose intolerance, an inherited condition that makes it difficult for your child to break down and use fructose, eating foods containing fructose could cause behavioral changes. Some infants might also have behavioral changes associated with fructose metabolism. See your child's doctor if you believe he has behavioral issues associated with fructose ingestion.
The inherited absence of an enzyme that breaks down fructose, called aldolase B, causes fructose intolerance. When your child eats foods containing fructose, his body can't break it down into glucose, the only form of sugar that the body can use for energy. As a result, your child's blood sugar drops, a condition known as hypoglycemia. Fructose intolerance also causes toxins to build up in the liver, which can lead to chronic liver disease. Fructose intolerance can occur in mild or more serious forms.
Both low blood glucose levels and liver disease that occur from fructose intolerance can cause behavioral changes. Buildup of liver toxins can cause irritability and excessive sleepiness. Hypoglycemia can also cause irritability as well as tremors and jitteriness, emotional mood swings, difficulty concentrating and -- in severe cases when blood glucose levels drop to dangerously low levels -- convulsions. Avoiding foods high in fructose, including fruits and some vegetables as well as some table sugars, helps control the symptoms of fructose intolerance.
Some infants might experience more infant colic due to their inability to absorb carbohydrates in high-fructose foods. A Miami Children's Hospital study published in the May 2002 issue of "Pediatrics" found a correlation between infant colic and carbohydrate malabsorption from apple juice, a high-fructose food. Infants given apple juice had a higher incidence of crying as well as an increase in physical activity and energy expenditure compared to those given grape juice, a drink lower in fructose.
High-fructose corn syrup, a manmade concoction that finds its way into numerous processed foods including sodas, has come under fire for possibly contributing to behavioral issues such as autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, better known as ADHD. But no study has proved that HFCS specifically -- or any other sugar -- actually causes behavioral changes in children. A Norwegian study published in the October 2006 issue of the "American Journal of Public Health" looked at behavioral issues in teens in relation to their soda intake. The study found that teens who drank the most soda -- more than four glasses per day -- had the most behavior issues, but it also found that teens who drank no soda had more behavioral issues than those drank a moderate amount. A review of 23 available studies conducted by Vanderbilt University researchers and reported in the November 1995 issue of "JAMA" found no correlation between sugar intake and hyperactivity.
Fructose and Depression
Children and teens with fructose malabsorption might have a higher risk of suffering from depression. A Spanish study published in the May 2005 issue of the "Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition" found that children with fructose malabsorption had a depressive rate 28.5 percent higher than the general population. Researchers theorized that incompletely absorbed sugars might decrease the availability of tryptophan, a precursor of the neurotransmitter and mood modulator serotonin.
Articles For Your Diet
- PubMed Health: Hereditary Fructose Intolerance
- JAMA: The Effect of Sugar on Behavior or Cognition in Children
- Pediatrics: Association Between Infantile Colic and Carbohydrate Malabsorption from Fruit Juices in Infancy
- Dr. Greene: The Relationship between Sugar and Behavior in Children
- American Journal of Public Health: Consumption of Soft Drinks and Hyperactivity, Mental Distress, and Conduct Problems Among Adolescents in Oslo, Norway
- Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition: Malabsorption of Carbohydrates and Depression in Children and Adolescents
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