Every day, an American child swallows an average of nineteen teaspoons of sugar. Faced with this worrying fact, American experts are sounding the alarm. They called, in a study published this tuesday in the newspaper Traffic, manufacturers to limit their use of added sugars. Indeed, they estimate that American children should reduce by two-thirds the quantity of foods consumed containing added sugars.
However, added sugars considerably increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer and dental caries.
Recommendations for the youngest
According to the statement from the American Heart Association (AHA), babies and children under 2 years old should not eat any foods with added sugars and older children should limit their sugary intake to 100 calories per day. This therefore corresponds to less than six teaspoons per day of this type of food for those aged 2 to 18 years.
Much of the sugars consumed today are “hidden” in processed foods that are not usually considered sweets. Indeed, a single can of soda can, for example, contain up to 7 sugar cubes! Yet the carbohydrates that these products contain, called “simple”, actually have very little energy contribution.
In France, the National Health Nutrition Plan (PNNS) recommends that adults and children increase their carbohydrate consumption so that they contribute more than 50% of daily energy intake, favoring the share of complex carbohydrate intake (such as pasta, beans, lentils or wholemeal bread) and fiber, while reducing the share of simple carbohydrate intake from sweet products (biscuits, pastries, confectionery, etc.).
The AHA preferred not to make recommendations on the effects of low-calorie sugars, such as aspartame, on children’s diets due to a lack of scientific data regarding their possible benefits and dangers.
A diet without added sugars
In 2009, the AHA had set different drinking limits for each age category. Considered too confusing, today it was a question of clarifying them. Thus, from July 2018, the quantity of added sugars contained in American prepared meals must be systematically specified on the labels.
“In the meantime, the best way to avoid added sugars in your child’s diet is to feed them nutrient-rich foods first, such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, chicken, fish, and limiting foods with low nutritional value,” advises Miriam Vos, nutritionist and associate professor of pediatrics at theEmory University School from Atlanta.
This study is far from being the only one warning about the risks of excessive consumption of added sugar. It adds to the many others carried out in recent years that call for improving our eating habits to preserve our health and that of our children.
Read also :
Infographic: the harmful effects of sugar on health
Nutrition: everything you need to know about carbohydrates
I rebalance my sugar intake
