Will Your Little One Be Sweet as Sugar?
Children’s Confectionary Intake Linked to Aggression in Adulthood
An interesting new study published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry has found that children who eat sweets and chocolate on a daily basis are more likely to display violent behaviour as adults.
Researchers from Cardiff University looked at data from almost 17,500 participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study. Results significantly showed that 10 year olds who had a daily intake of sweets and chocolate were more likely to have been convicted for violence by the age of 34.
This is the first study of its kind to look at the long-term effects of diet in childhood on adult behaviour.
The researchers found that 69% of the study participants who were violent at the age of 34 consumed confectionary daily during childhood compared to 42% who were non-violent.
Commenting on possible explanations for this link, lead researcher, Dr Simon Moore commented, “Our favoured explanation is that giving children sweets and chocolate regularly may stop them learning how to wait to obtain something they want. Not being able to defer gratification may push them towards more impulsive behaviour, which is strongly associated with delinquency”.
They concluded: “This association between confectionary consumption and violence needs further attention. Targeting resources at improving children’s diet may improve health and reduce aggression”.
Sources:
Moore SC, Carter LM and Van Goozen SHM. Confectionary consumption in childhood and adult violence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 195: 366-367