The Raw Facts on Sugar

Executive pastry chef Dennis Canciello of Ferrara Bakery in New York agrees. "It's sugar, that's all it is. Sugar is sugar," he said.

Does Sugar Make Kids Hyper?

And there's another myth about sugar. We hear this one from parents all the time. Sugar drives the kids crazy.

Even some of the kids believe it.

"I go really nuts when I have candy," one girl said.

And it doesn't matter how old you are.

"You get really -- hyper! ... I'm like oh, I'm on such a sugar rush right now," a teenage girl said.

Lots of people accept the idea that too much sugar makes kids wild and hyper. But is it true?

"The research is very clear. Sugar does not make a child hyperactive," Nonas said.

Many studies have found that. One published in the New England Journal of Medicine gave some kids sugared foods and others foods with artificial sweeteners.

Their parents and the researchers didn't know who was eating sugar and who wasn't. They monitored the kids for things like irritability and hyperactivity. They found no difference.

"There is no such thing as a sugar high. And there is no such thing as sugar making you nuts. There just isn't," said Nonas.

But I've seen kids go crazy at parties. Isn't that because the sugar kicks in?

Actually, no. And some of their moms have figured out what's going on.

"The kids are hyper! They are hyper because they are excited. Because they have freedom. Because there are 20 kids, crowding around each other," said insightful mom Hillari Boritz.

Right, because it's a party!

The studies also show that if food has an effect, it could be the caffeine in chocolate and soda that's giving you the buzz. It's not the sugar.

Special thanks to New York City's Ferrara Bakery and Cafe, Ceci-Cela Patisserie and Rocco's Pastry Shop and Espresso Cafe.