Effects of dietary substances in children.

Five studies on behavioral effects of dietary substances (alcohol, caffeine, and sugar) in children are reviewed to evaluate methodology. Pharmacokinetic and dose response data are essential in understanding age differences in behavioral response. For pediatric populations, objective behavioral data including speech rate, attention span, reaction time and motor activity are more sensitive than subjective reports of mood change. A variety of cognitive and behavioral tasks failed to show "excitatory" effects of sugar in a supposedly vulnerable population. Randomized double blind trials are essential as the children's behavior changed systematically over the course of the study independent of the substance administered.