Study: Processed Sugar Dumbing Down Kids
In recent years we’ve learned a great deal about the dangers of sugars, even finding out that research was compromised in the 1970’s, misleading the world about its dangers. It is as addictive as cocaine, it is linked to diabetes and many doctors and scientists believe that it may be the leading cause of cancer worldwide.
In and of itself, that’s a lot of bad press, but a new study serves as a warning to pregnant women and new mothers, suggesting that sugar may actually be to blame for poor childhood cognition. That’s right, sugar consumption may be dumbing down children, negatively affecting cognitive abilities and speech functions.
Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a new study looked at the effects of consuming greater quantities of sugar, and the results are startling.
“A new study has determined that poorer childhood cognition occurred, particularly in memory and learning, when pregnant women or their offspring consumed greater quantities of sugar. Substituting diet soda for sugar-sweetened versions during pregnancy also appeared to have negative effects. However, children’s fruit consumption had beneficial effects and was associated with higher cognitive scores.” [Source]
The study primarily focused on the effects of the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and suggests that ‘diet’ versions of drinks and food products are more dangerous than products that contain real sugar. This is not surprising considering supporting research which shows how dangerous sugar substitutes really are. Splenda, for example, is fraught with dangers and can be highly damaging to the gut microbiota and can suppress thyroid function.
Additionally, it is important to note that the consumption of natural fructose and fruits actually had a positive effect on childhood cognition, meaning that the processed foods present a grave danger that we don’t dully understand, and that the body and mind thrive on natural foods.
For further explanation of what this may mean to pregnant women and new parents, Dr. Rhonda Patrick notes:
Maternal sugar consumption, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages, was associated with poorer childhood cognition including non-verbal abilities to solve novel problems, poorer verbal memory, poorer fine motor, and poorer visual-spatial/visual-motor abilities in childhood.
The study also found that substituting diet soda for sugar-sweetened soda during pregnancy was also linked to negative effects. However, children’s fruit consumption (but not fruit juice) had beneficial effects and was associated with higher cognitive scores.
As with any observational study, it is difficult to establish causation. However, the data was adjusted for a variety of other health and socioeconomic factors which does strengthen the data.
Consuming sugar may be one of the most dangerous lifestyle choices a person can make.
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Kristin
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Key word here: “MAY” ” study indicate that consuming more fruits and less sugar, as well as avoiding diet soda during pregnancy, may have a meaningful impact on child cognitive functioning.” They did not prove that processed sugar made children less smart- this is what they did: “Childhood SSB consumption was associated with poorer verbal intelligence at mid-childhood.
Child consumption of both fructose and fruit in early childhood was associated with higher cognitive scores in several areas and greater receptive vocabulary”
Maybe the types of parents that allow their children sodas and candy consumption are less educated?
Sugar is natural. All sugar is, is the juice from sugar cane, cleaned and dried. The darker stuff is saved for molasses, or to make brown sugar. For what it’s worth, I am in no wise affiliated with any sugar growers, nor do I own or trade any shares in sugar or any commodities for that matter- i.e., I have no horse in this race. I read the study, re-read it and still am rather surprised this is taken seriously. WHAT “cognitive study” was done? And who exactly, is “Project VIVA” and what is their agenda? Those are real questions for research.
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cedarhill
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One should check with the biochemistry of the metabolic processes using PubMed or MedScape. A simple internet search will yield thousands of studies, clinical trials, biochemistry papers, etc., on carbohydrates. And I’d use carbohydrates instead of “sugar” because carbohydrates are strings of sugar molecules pasted together into a long chain. The body, nearly immediately, breaks them up into sugars. Thus, for example, when you eat 40 grams of carbohydrates, you’ve eaten the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of table sugar.
Sugar, while natural, is so bad when it enters the bloodstream that a nearly instantaneous insulin response (spike) occurs to bind with the sugar(s) and force them into the cells. However continual over consumption, over decades, causes the body simply gives up and you develop insulin resistance, big league, or what was formerly called metabolic syndrome. The chemistry has been mapped out down to each chemical equation in the process by the biochemists.
Like lots of things in the body, moderate amounts (under 100 grams a day of carbohydrates) likely won’t have any long term effects. Moving to a Mediterranean Diet, modified Atkins diet or any low carb-high fat will break the habit. Your body runs just fine on fats (ketones) including your brain.
And biochemistry is now reporting that many cancers “feed” on glucose to the exclusion of the fat sourced energy (ketones). Anecdotal reports by various MDs indicate going to a zero carb diet shrinks their tumors – as in starves them.
The information, mostly reliable, is freely available. However, always be aware to check sources since there, literally, are trillions of dollars at stake.
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Roslyn Ross
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Humans have been eating sugar for centuries. In some countries a great deal of it.
Cancer rates have gone from one in more than 10 in 1900 to one in two today.
Yes, there is more sugar in food but also, this period tracks the following:
the beginning of the vaccination age.
the beginning of the antibiotic age.
introduction of the contraceptive pill.
the use of antibiotics in agriculture.
the greater use of herbicides and insecticides in agriculture.
the greater processing of foods with a myriad of chemical additives.
fluoride in the water.
elective C-section.
the introduction of the ultrasound.
the common practice of seeking to bring down any temperature despite the fact that fever is a key healing mechanism.
poorer sleep because of more light, electronics in the bedroom, wifi etc.
natural drug-free childbirth becomes rare.
formula replaces breastfeeding.
fewer childhood diseases like Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox etc., which research shows protect in adult life against Cancer as well as Strokes and Heart Disease.
more medical meddling than at any other time in human history, using toxic drugs to repress or remove symptoms, and worse health and more disease.
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Roslyn Ross
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And my question would be, why, if sugar is so bad, is breastmilk so sweet?
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Roslyn Ross
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Demonising sugar is a way of distracting public attention to a more likely cause of so much disease, the massively high level of vaccination, beginning within hours of birth and where children are injected more than 50 times in the first five years of life.
This huge and completely unnatural experiment has never been properly studied because the pharmaceutical industry which makes vaccines, pays for more than two-thirds of all science-medical research.
And has refused to look at disease rates in general and the particular in fully, partially and non-vaccinated children and adults.
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Roslyn Ross
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Humans have been eating sugar for centuries. In some countries a great deal of it.
Cancer rates have gone from one in more than 10 in 1900 to one in two today.
Yes, there is more sugar in food but also, this period tracks the following:
the beginning of the vaccination age.
the beginning of the antibiotic age.
introduction of the contraceptive pill.
the use of antibiotics in agriculture.
the greater use of herbicides and insecticides in agriculture.
the greater processing of foods with a myriad of chemical additives.
fluoride in the water.
elective C-section.
the introduction of the ultrasound.
the common practice of seeking to bring down any temperature despite the fact that fever is a key healing mechanism.
poorer sleep because of more light, electronics in the bedroom, wifi etc.
natural drug-free childbirth becomes rare.
formula replaces breastfeeding.
fewer childhood diseases like Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox etc., which research shows protect in adult life against Cancer as well as Strokes and Heart Disease.
more medical meddling than at any other time in human history, using toxic drugs to repress or remove symptoms, and worse health and more disease.
Reply