Effects of Diets High in Sucrose or Aspartame on the Behavior and Cognitive Performance of Children
We checked this card's citation and the finding we state against the source's own page or record in October 2026.
What it found
In a double-blind trial, children described by their parents as sensitive to sugar showed no significant differences on any of 39 behavior and learning measures between a high-sugar diet and diets sweetened with aspartame or a placebo sweetener. Preschoolers differed on only a few measures, with no consistent pattern.
What kind of study it is
- Design
- Randomized trial in schools
- Weight
- A trial in schools: it compares groups that got the practice with groups that didn't.
- Sample
- 25 preschool children and 23 school-age children described by parents as sensitive to sugar, each on three diets for three weeks
- Who
- School-age children (K–12)
Read it
doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199402033300501
We link to the source and summarize it in our own words. We don't host or copy papers.
Cited in the Library
Cite this study
Wolraich, M. L., Lindgren, S. D., Stumbo, P. J., Stegink, L. D., Appelbaum, M. I., & Kiritsy, M. C. (1994). Effects of diets high in sucrose or aspartame on the behavior and cognitive performance of children. New England Journal of Medicine, 330(5), 301–307. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199402033300501
Checked against the source in October 2026. All studies · How we rate the evidence · Something wrong? Tell us.