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Sugar

Parents often blame sugar for a child's hyperactive behavior, but it's time to stop.

"The overwhelming number of studies have not been able to demonstrate behavior changes due to sugar consumption in children," says Dr. Wolraich.

A study in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology found that mothers who thought their children were given sugar rated their children's behavior as more hyperactive than mothers who were told their children were given a sugar substitute—regardless of whether their children actually consumed real sugar.

Limit sugar if you're concerned about calorie consumption or dental cavities, not because of ADHD.

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