I've recently been attempting to investigate the causes of Restless Leg Syndrome and have been disappointed with the results -- it seems as though RLS is the licorice jellybean of Medical Science. The consensus seems to be that RLS occurs in whoever and whenever simply because it can, and further research into the matter has been neglected. 'Just because' is never a satisfactory answer in my eyes, so before I abandon mission, I'd like to know if anybody could shed some light on this topic. I am aware that the hormone Dopamine is thought to be a prime culprit in the formation of RLS, but judging from personal experience and experiment, I was expecting a strong link between RLS and sugar. Anyone?

There's a good Wikipedia page on Restless leg - no mention of sugar though... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restless_leg_syndrome

Thanks for that Kerry, a lot of good info about Dopamine and mineral deficiencies. Apparently RLS is commonly inherited, which is interesting given it is supposedly linked to diet. I'm sure future research will reveal more

In general--I really have nothing to contribute except this--I'd keep the word "phantom" out of discussions of RLS, so as to avoid confusion.