Behavior and nutrition: a mini review.

The finding that there is an effect upon measurements relevant to school performance, depending on whether or not the child had breakfast that morning, may seem trivial and like common sense to any parent who has had to remind their child not to leave for school without breakfast. Yet, it is an example of a hypothesis finally being tested. Caffeine in children and adults tends to increase vigilance. Differences in caffeine effects are seen among different personality types and among those who self-select high or low amounts of the stimulant in their diets. There is no clear behavioral toxicity from caffeine in normal children. Those self-selecting selecting high caffeine diets generally do not seem to get negative effects. Whether most other beliefs about behavioral effects of foods and nutrients are facts or myths still needs to be determined. Until adequate scientific evidence is collected, individual beliefs about sugar, hyperactivity and crime must remain only beliefs, regardless of how strongly public policy may or may not endorse them. At this time, there is no proven causal relationship. More studies with adequate design details are needed to assess behavioral toxicity as well as the benefit/risk ratio of any dietary manipulation.