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Sugary sweeteners make kids hyper.

true / false

Correct That’s right. As scientific research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded, “sugar does not affect the behavior or cognitive performance of children.”

Incorrect Despite the common belief that giving sugar to kids will make them hyper, this is an urban myth. Scientific research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that “sugar does not affect the behavior or cognitive performance of children.”

High fructose corn syrup is high in fructose.

true / false

Correct You’re right. Calling HFCS “high” in fructose is a misnomer, insofar as it has about the same fructose content as table sugar or honey.

Incorrect Despite the misleading name, high fructose corn syrup isn’t actually “high” in fructose. The two common forms of HFCS have 55 percent and 42 percent fructose content, while table sugar has 50 percent.

Sugary sweeteners aren’t “empty” calories.

true / false

Correct You’re right. All sugary sweeteners are carbohydrates, which when eaten are broken down by the body and used as energy.

Incorrect That’s incorrect. In fact, sugary sweeteners are simply carbohydrates. Whenever we eat carbohydrates, whether from sugar, a potato, or bread, the body breaks down these foods into useable energy.

Some sugars are “more natural” than others.

true / false

Correct That’s correct. All major caloric sweeteners require some processing before use. Sugar cubes don’t just grow on trees, after all.

Incorrect In fact, all major caloric sweeteners require some processing before use, whether it’s table sugar, corn syrup, honey, or brown sugar. After all, sugar cubes don’t grow on trees.

High fructose corn syrup is in so many foods because it is subsidized by the government.

true / false

Correct That’s right. The government does not control or support the price of high fructose corn syrup (though it does for sugar).

Incorrect Though some critics say this, it’s not true. The government does not control or support the price of high fructose corn syrup. And although the government does provide some assistance to some farmers, it does not subsidize the price of the products made from those crops.

Eating sugary sweeteners causes diabetes.

true / false

Correct The American Diabetes Association flatly notes that “this is not true.” The myth that eating too much sugar causes diabetes probably came from doctors ordering diabetic patients not to consume any sugar.

Incorrect The American Diabetes Association flatly notes that “this is not true.” Diabetes is the result of either the body not making enough insulin or of its cells not responding to insulin. The myth that eating too much sugar causes diabetes probably came from doctors ordering diabetic patients not to consume any sugar.

Eating sweet foods leads to a sugar “high” and a sugar “crash.”

true / false

Correct That’s right, sugar “highs” and sugar “crashes” are simply a myth. Because of table sugar’s moderate glycemic index, it doesn’t cause an abnormal spike in blood sugar.

Incorrect This is actually an urban myth. Because of table sugar’s moderate glycemic index, it doesn’t cause an abnormal spike in blood sugar. "There's no evidence to support the idea that mid-afternoon tiredness is caused by hypoglycemia, or that healthy people feel normal fluctuations in blood sugar," says Dr. Phillip Cryer of the Washington University School of Medicine.

High fructose corn syrup has the same sweetness as table sugar.

true / false

Correct That’s correct—HFCS was designed to have the same sweetness as table sugar so that they could be used interchangeably.

Incorrect Actually, HFCS was designed to have the same sweetness as table sugar so that the two could be used interchangeably without a noticeable difference in taste.

Sugar from beets is the same as cane sugar.

true / false

Correct Though sugar from beets and cane are processed differently, the end result is the same for the body. Sugar is sugar.

Incorrect Actually, there’s little perceptible difference between sugar from beets and sugar from cane. Cane and beets are grown in different climates and the process of extracting sugar from each is different. However, the end result is the same for the body—sugar is sugar.