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Chocolate (and consumption of other sweets) encourages violence?
Fri, Oct 02 2009

"New study indicates that children who often received sweets, including chocolate, are more likely to become violent adults.

If your parents were stingy on the sweets when you were a child, they might have been doing you a favor beyond nutrition: contributing to your psychological stability. A new study in the British Journal of Psychiatry (as cited in eScienceNews) indicates that subjects whose daily consumption of chocolate (and other sweets) at age 10 were “significantly more likely to have been convicted for violence at age 34.”

The previous news on chocolate celebrated its redeeming nutritional value: flavonoids and antioxidants that keep blood pressure low and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, and Japanese researchers have even indicated that parts of the cocoa bean might help thwart mouth bacteria and stop dental decay. But thanks to this late-breaking study, precocious, Internet-savvy children who might have hoped that chocolate’s nutritional value might prove a persuasive argument when dealing with sweet-stingy parents are in for a disappointment:

Researchers from Cardiff University found that 69 percent of the participants who were violent at the age of 34 had eaten sweets and chocolate nearly every day during childhood, compared to 42 percent who were nonviolent.

According to the study, this latest link may not be as nutritional in orientation as it is psychological: if chocolate is the object of desire for a child, and parents give in easily, it teaches the child that things will come to them easily. Then, when future situations or people thwart the child’s attempts to get what he or she wants, it can lead to impatience, stubbornness, impulsiveness, and eventually, delinquency and violence.

Lead researcher Dr. Simon Moore said (quoted in eScienceNews):

"Our favoured explanation is that giving children sweets and chocolate regularly may stop them learning how to wait to obtain something they want. Not being able to defer gratification may push them towards more impulsive behaviour, which is strongly associated with delinquency."

Were you a child with a sweet tooth? No need to panic … at least, not yet. The researchers are still investigating the “association between confectionary consumption and violence.” Their interim solution is to designate resources for improving children's diet in the hope that this “may improve health and reduce aggression.""
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/health/stories/chocolate-and-consumption-of-other-sweets-encourages-violence

Say What?
Posted by Susan on The Official Candy Blog of the National Confectioners Association

"An article published by the Associated Press this week made me do a double take. “Study says too much candy could lead to prison” the headline called out. What?

As is often the case with these types of inflammatory headlines, the study doesn’t actually say that at all. But it does make an interesting correlation between adult violent behavior and overly permissive parenting styles (such as allowing children to have as much candy as they like).

The study in question was published in this month’s British Journal of Psychiatry and it does appear to suggest some correlation between frequent childhood candy consumption and adult violent behavior. However, despite what these crazy headlines would have you believe, the study does not show and is not meant to imply that candy consumption itself leads to poor behavior.

As my darling husband always says to me when I start jumping to conclusions about any number of issues, “Remember – correlation does not equal causation.”

So just what does this study show then?

The research is intended to illustrate that an overly permissive parenting style may create a population of adults with limited experience in delaying gratification, leading to impulsive behavior and violence. “It’s not that the sweets themselves are bad, it’s more about interpreting how kids make decisions,” said Simon Moore of the University of Cardiff, one
of the paper’s authors.

Moore said parents who consistently bribe their children into good behavior with candies and chocolates could be doing harm. That might prevent kids from learning how to defer gratification and could lead to problems down the road.

In other words, candy just happened to be the control factor used in this study, but it could have been staying up late, buying too many new toys, playing excessive video games or even reading in bed after lights out. If parents constantly allow their children whatever they want, regardless of appropriateness, they are not teaching their children to make good decisions, choose wisely and act maturely. And that’s what can lead to problems in adulthood with those very same issues on a larger scale. If you’ve never had to follow rules, why would rules imposed by your parents seem any different than rules imposed by the state?

Are you still worried that your children may end up in jail because you let them eat candy? Don’t be. Adult violence is very rare, and in this case they asked adults to remember how often they were permitted to eat candy as children. Relying on human memory for any scientific study is extremely risky. Most people can’t remember what they ate last week, let alone 25 years ago.

There are some important take away messages here, though. We can help our children become smart, responsible adults. As adults, we know that there is a time and a place for eating candy. Confectionery is a treat – it’s not meant to take the place of breakfast, lunch or dinner and it will not replace a balanced diet consisting of lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grains and fruits and vegetables. That said, if we eat a diet rich in a variety of foods, and we include plenty of activity in our lives, we can enjoy candy and other sweets in moderation. In fact, sweetness in our diets makes life more pleasurable. Therefore, parents must help their children understand that candy consumption is not a reward. We should not bribe our children with candy. We should teach them how to include some of their favorite foods as part of an overall healthy, active lifestyle.

The study’s author even came to the same conclusion. Moore said his results were not strong enough to recommend parents stop giving their children candies and chocolates. “This is an incredibly complex area,” he said. “It’s not fair to blame it on the candy.”"
http://candydishblog.com/2009/10/02/say-what/