A very interesting study that came out recently. I've cut n pasted a nice article on About.com from Elizabeth Hartney.
"A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry has shown a link between the daily eating of sweets and violence later in life.
Based on a study of 17,500 ten-year-old children in 1970, the research found that of those who went on to commit violent crimes in adulthood, nearly 70% ate candy every day, compared to 42% who did not go on to commit violent crimes.
The study took many different factors into account, including parenting style, and found that the candy-violence relationship remained when these factors were included in the analysis.
The study authors speculated that the cause of this phenomenon may be the use of candy by parents to control children's behavior. This prevents children from developing the ability to delay gratification, which has been found in other studies to be related to delinquency. Candy also contains additives which have been found to promote aggression.
This is scary news for parents. So what should you do if you think your child is addicted to food or a chocoholic? Obviously, limiting sugar will do no harm, and may do a lot of good. Saving sugary treats for special occasions, rather than allowing them to become a daily expectation may be helpful. And avoid the use of candy to control your child's behavior -- it may seem like a "quick fix" at the time, but in the long term, it may lead to greater problems.
Encouraging children to enjoy healthy alternatives, such as fruit, will have numerous short and long term health benefits, as well as psychological benefits. And parents should remember that their most powerful tool is role modelling, so hold off on eating candy in front of your kids, and let them see you munching a banana or apple as a healthy snack. "
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