Any parent that has ever witnessed the aftermath of a child's birthday party has probably blamed sugar for the mayhem that followed the cake and ice cream. But the fact is that sugar may actually be an innocent victim of guilt by association. Instead, psychiatrists say it's the context of parties, holidays, and other special occasions in which children get their biggest doses of sugar that is often responsible for behavior changes.

Experts say the notion that sugar causes children to become hyperactive is by far the most popular example of how people believe food can affect behavior, especially among young children. However, despite years of debate and research on the relationship between food and behavior, no major studies have been able to provide any clear scientific evidence to back up those claims.

"There is elegant research demonstrating that sugar is not at all related to inattention or hyperactivity," says Mina Dulcan, MD, head of child and adolescent psychiatry at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Dulcan and Pliszka point to studies that have shown no effect of sugar on the behavior of children whose parents are convinced that the food makes them more hyperactive. But if the parents think their child has had sugar, they often perceive a difference in behavior that is not really there by objective measures

Dulcan says part of the reason the sugar-hyperactivity humor12-myth has persisted is because people often confuse proximity with causality when it comes to food and behavior. When parents observe a change in behavior, their minds often go back to the child's last treat rather than other circumstances that might have influenced the behavior.