Does Candy Cause Crime?

Add this to the list of reasons to take candy machines out of schools. A recent study by British researcher Simon Moore of Cardiff University suggests that children who eat a lot of candy are more likely to become violent criminals, Time magazine reports. The study took data from the British Cohort Study, a long-term survey of 17,000 people born during one week in April 1970. Moore plumbed the data and discovered that 69 percent of people convicted of a violent act by age 34 ate candy almost every day as children, while only 42 percent of non-criminals reported the same. Moore said that he then adjusted the figures "parental permissiveness, economic status, whether the kids were urban or rural. But the result remained." It's unclear whether sweets contain compounds promoting antisocial and aggressive behavior or whether undisciplined children tend to eat sweets to excess, evidencing a lack of impulse control that carries through into adulthood. "This study really raises more questions than answers," Moore said.