10/02/09 (UK):
Violent Behaviour Linked To Candy
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Children who eat large amounts of candy and chocolate are more likely to be violent in later life, according to latest research.
Cardiff University has analysed the childhood eating habits of around 17,500 participants of the 1970 British Cohort Study and found that 10-year-olds who ate candy and chocolate on a daily basis were more likely to have a conviction for violence as an adult.
It was found that 69 per cent of those who had a conviction for a violent offence by the age of 34 had eaten sweets and chocolates daily, compared to just 42 per cent of those without such a conviction.
The research, which is being published this month in the British Journal of Psychiatry, takes into account other social and economic factors.
Lead researcher Dr Simon Moore said: "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."
Further research into the links between confectionary and violent behaviour are being called for by the research team.
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