Sugar Habit as Children Linked to Violent Behavior as Adults

Children who eat a lot of sugary foods are more likely to be arrested and convicted of violent crimes as adults, according to a study by researchers at Cardiff University, Wales.

Simon C. Moore, PhD, and his colleagues tracked 17,415 people born in a single week in April in the 1970s in the United Kingdom. The researchers analyzed patterns of the subjects' mental ability at age five and aggression and impulsive behavior at age 10. They were considered violent if they had been found guilty of a violent crime between ages 30 and 34 years.

After analysis and reanalysis, "the association between eating confectionary daily remained statistically significant," wrote Moore and his colleagues. Moore calculated that 69 percent of the subjects who were violent by age 34 had eaten sugary foods every day as children. Only 42 percent of nonviolent subjects ate sugary foods every day as children.

According to the findings, daily consumption of sugary foods increased the risk of violence by three times, and being male increased the risk by nine times.

Reference: Moore SC, Carter LM, van Goozen SH. Confectionary consumption in childhood and adult violence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009;195:366-367.