Eating Candy in Childhood Linked to Adult Crime
By ALICE PARK Alice Park Fri Oct 2, 4:50 am ET
What parent hasn't used candy to pacify a cranky child or head off a brewing tantrum? When reasoning, threats and time-outs fail, a sugary treat often does the trick. But while that chocolate-covered balm may be highly effective in the short term, say British scientists, it may be setting youngsters up for problem behavior later. According to a new study, kids who eat too many treats at a young age risk becoming violent in adulthood.


The research was led by Simon Moore, a senior lecturer in Violence and Society Research at Cardiff University in the U.K., who specializes in the study of vulnerable youngsters. Moore had been investigating the factors that lead children to commit serious crimes, when, during the course of his work, he discovered that "kids with the worst problems tend to be impulsive risk takers, and that these kids had terrible diets - breakfast was a Coke and a bag of chips," he says. (Read "Why Media Could Be Bad for Your Child's Health.")


Intrigued by this association, Moore turned to the British Cohort Study, a long-term survey of 17,000 people born during a one-week period in April 1970. That study included periodic evaluations of many different aspects of the growing children's lives, such as what they ate, certain health measures and socioeconomic status. Moore plumbed the data for information on kids' diet and their later behavior: at age 10, the children were asked how much candy they consumed, and at age 34, they were questioned about whether they had been convicted of a crime. Moore's analysis suggests a correlation: 69% of people who had been convicted of a violent act by age 34 reported eating candy almost every day as youngsters; 42% of people who had not been arrested for violent behavior reported the same. "Initially we thought this [effect] was probably due to something else," says Moore. "So we tried to control for parental permissiveness, economic status, whether the kids were urban or rural. But the result remained. We couldn't get rid of it."


In other words, regardless of other environmental and lifestyle factors, like family-income level, parenting style or children's level of education, the data suggested it was only the frequency of confectionery consumption in childhood that strongly predicted adult violence. "The key message is that this study really raises more questions than answers," says Moore.


One of those questions is whether sweets themselves contain compounds that promote antisocial and aggressive behavior, or whether the excessive eating of sweets represents a lack of discipline in childhood that translates to poor impulse control in adulthood. Moore is leaning toward the latter. It's possible that children who are given sweets too frequently never learn how to delay gratification - that is, they never develop enough patience to wait for things they want, leading to impulsivity in adulthood. It's also possible that children who are poorly behaved from the start tend to get more candy.


Moore acknowledges that there is also some intriguing data suggesting that diet itself may have a profound effect on behavior. A University of Oxford researcher recently published controversial findings hinting that prisoners who were fed vitamin supplements - and therefore presumably getting well-balanced nutrition - had lower rates of disciplinary events and aggressive outbursts than a control group who were given placebo pills. While the association is preliminary, says Moore, "I think looking at diet is a fairly novel way to think of behavior over the life course."

more proof that there is a STUDY to support just about any point of view.

That was pretty much my first thought. I would think it is far more likely that kids who were eating chips and soda for breakfast (to cite one example) probably had pretty lax oversight and discipline, which IMO is far more likely to lead to bad behavior as adults.

its true

Good thing that I never used food as a reward for my child. I was just trying to facilitate good eating habits. I didn't want my child to grow up eating something every time that they felt bad.

Thank you. I was trying to figure out a way to say darn near the very same thing, when I saw your response

Who does that? Their throwing a tantrum so you give them candy????

WTF?

Who need's candy for breakfast when you have Sugar Pop's, Frosted Flake's and the like? And oh yeah, milk will turn you into a drug user. Remember that one? lol

you would be surprised at how many people not only do it, but think you are wrong for not doing it. I have had caseworkers at social services try and berate me for not giving my boys a piece of candy when both would not sit down and either read a book or play with toys that we had brought to keep them occupied.

wierdos. sugar can be very evil.

I don't know

We are different I guess

We always had candy bowls full at all times in the house

As my mom did
As grandma did

We love sweets!!!

Never used them as a reward. It was just alwAys there

Maybe when it's always there they learn to control themselves and none of my girls overloaded on it

They certainly didn't become mass murderers!!!

My son gets plenty of sugar as well, and I'm pretty sure he's not going to end up a violent offender! I don't know, while sugar is certainly not the most healthy thing, I don't think it's going to turn anyone criminal.

I don't know, now that I stop to think of it.

I mean, can a child be considered a violent offender if he gets so hyped up on sugar that he drives his parents insane?

Where is the study proving the correlation between teenagers HORRIBLE people and customer service skills and the modern technology they are glued to like ipods, mp3s, cell phones?

I bet no money will go into that study......

If they're glued to those items, their social skills and communication skills will be lacking when they are older.

if that study is true...oh boy will i be in for it lol, i used to eat candy like it was going out of style.