Everything You Believe About Sugar Is Wrong

Sugar gets blamed for hyperactive kids, cancer, diabetes and addiction. But when scientists actually tested these claims, most of them fell apart. In this episode, Busted Bites puts 12 of the most popular sugar myths on trial, from the Halloween "sugar rush" to poisoned trick-or-treat candy, brown sugar, agave, sugar-free sweets and the famous "as addictive as cocaine" headline. And one myth at the end turns out to be completely true. Which of these myths did you believe? Tell us in the comments. Next episode: the honey sealed in an Egyptian tomb for 3,000 years. CHAPTERS 0:00 Why everyone blames sugar 0:52 Myth 1: Sugar makes kids hyperactive 2:11 Myth 2: Strangers poison Halloween candy 3:25 Myth 3: Brown sugar is healthier 4:15 Myth 4: Agave and coconut sugar are healthier 5:24 Myth 5: Fruit sugar is as bad as soda 6:31 Myth 6: Sugar is as addictive as cocaine 7:54 Myth 7: Sugar feeds cancer 9:11 Myth 8: Sugar causes diabetes 10:16 Myth 9: Sweeteners make you fat 11:08 Myth 10: Sugar-free means calorie-free 12:00 Myth 11: Your brain needs sugar 12:56 Myth 12: The sugar rush and crash 13:40 The one myth that's TRUE SOURCES Wolraich M. et al., JAMA, 1995: meta-analysis of 16 double-blind studies on sugar and children's behavior Hoover D., Milich R., Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 1994: mothers' expectations and "sugar hyperactivity" Best J., Horiuchi G., Social Problems, 1985: "The Razor Blade in the Apple" (Halloween sadism reports since 1958) Muraki I. et al., BMJ, 2013: whole fruit, fruit juice and type 2 diabetes risk Lenoir M. et al., PLoS ONE, 2007: intense sweetness surpasses cocaine reward (rats) Westwater M. et al., European Journal of Nutrition, 2016: sugar addiction, the state of the science Malik V. et al., Diabetes Care, 2010: sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of type 2 diabetes World Health Organization, 2023: guideline on non-sugar sweeteners U.S. FDA, 21 CFR 101.60: definition of "sugar free" Mantantzis K. et al., Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2019: sugar rush or sugar crash? (meta-analysis) Gustafsson B. et al., Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 1954: the Vipeholm dental caries study ARCHIVE IMAGES Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine CDC / Dr. Richard Facklam, Public Health Image Library (phil.cdc.gov) PET scan: Jens Langner, Wikimedia Commons (public domain) Stock footage: Pexels This video is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. #sugar #foodmyths #halloween