Sugar Rush... to Prison? Study Says Lots of Candy Could Lead to Violence
LONDON (AP) Willy Wonka would be horrified.
Children who eat too much candy may be more likely to be arrested for violent behavior as adults, new
research suggests.
British experts studied more than 17,000 children born in 1970 for about four decades. Of the children
who ate candies or chocolates daily at age 10, 69 percent were later arrested for a violent offense by the
age of 34. Of those who didn't have any violent clashes, 42 percent ate sweets daily.
The study was published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. It was paid for by
Britain's Economic and Social Research Council.
The researchers said the results were interesting, but that more studies were needed to confirm the
link. "It's not that the sweets themselves are bad, it's more about interpreting how kids make decisions,"
said Simon Moore of the University of Cardiff, one of the paper's authors.
Moore said parents who consistently bribe their children into good behavior with candies and
chocolates could be doing harm. That might prevent kids from learning how to defer gratification,
leading to impulsive behavior and violence.
Even after Moore and colleagues controlled for other variables like different parenting skills and varying
social and economic backgrounds, they found a significant link between childhood consumption of
sweets and violent behavior in adulthood.
Previous studies have found better nutrition leads to better behavior, in both children and adults.
Moore said his results were not strong enough to recommend parents stop giving their children candies
and chocolates. "This is an incredibly complex area," he said. "It's not fair to blame it on the candy."
