Sugar Rush or Sugar Crash? Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Sugary Drinks in the Classroom

Sugary drinks in schools have been demonized for their potential long-term contribution to rising obesity rates. Surprisingly, there is only little evidence on their immediate effects. This paper provides experimental evidence on the in-class effects of sugary drinks on behavior and student achievement. We randomly assigned 462 preschool children to receive sugary drinks or artificially sweetened drinks and collected data before and after consumption. Our findings suggest that the consumption of one sugary drink induces an initial ‘relaxing’ effect, before making children more restless. We find a negative effect on student achievement for boys and a positive effect for girls.

Publication year:2022

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