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By the end of tonight, children will be coming home with giant sacks of candy. Some of that candy has side effects you might not realize.
Dentists say they like Halloween; it helps keep them in business. But if you don't want your kids getting expensive cavities after tonight, don't let them suck on hard candies or lollipops for a long time. Those candies keep a steady stream of sugar coming.
Dr. Jim Tullis told KSL that chewy, sticky candy is the worst.
"It's going to take longer for your saliva to break down those types of sugars, so they stick to your teeth longer," he said.
Dr. Tom Metcalf, a pediatrician at Willow Creek Pediatrics, says that most kids, when they consume large amounts of sugar, will be hyperactive and show signs of ADHD. But he says there is not a lot of data to support long-term effects of consuming large amounts of sugar during Halloween.
Dr. Metcalf also suggests parents pay close attention to what their kids are putting into their mouths while trick-or-treating. He says parents need to make sure their child does not consume something they may be allergic to, like peanuts, which is a common allergy among children.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
