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Sugar is often blamed for hyperactive behaviour. Some of the foods that are closely related to hyperactive include caffeine, sugar, food dyes, glutamate, aromatic substances and others. For examples: chocolate chip cookies, cake, strawberry ice cream or chocolate bars. When sugar (glucose and sucrose) alone is given to children, they tend to be sedated, with unchanged or even decreased physical activity. Other food ingredients have been named as the culprits in children's behavioral problems include amines in fruits, for example, are neuroactive chemicals that produce behavioral changes when given alone. Nutmeg is known to contain hallucinogenic substances, and cinnamon often triggers hyperactivity and/or headaches. Several naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds have been studied for their effects on behavior. Gallic acid, for example, suppresses food intake in animals. In rat studies, obese rats were more sensitive to appetite suppression by gallic acid than their lean litter mates. Gardner advanced the hypothesis that the whole range of aromatic compounds in the food supply are chemically active and also allergenic.
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