Cardiovascular illnesses, Type 2 diabetesdigestive disorders, overweight, obesity or even pancreatic cancer, stomach or colon… So many health problems aggravated or caused by excessive sugar consumption. Problem: the sugar is present in most of the foods we eat on a daily basis (industrial sauces, cereals, beer, charcuterie, etc.) and it is addictive!
British researchers from London and Liverpool wanted to know to what extent our children were affected by this public health issue. To find out, they analyzed the composition of 203 products “specially marketed for children”: 21 fruit juices, 158 fruit-based juices and 24 smoothies. They measured what the sugar level was for each drink, taking care not to count the sugars naturally present in the fruits (from fructoseprincipally).
3 sugar cubes per day, no more
Results ? These drinks contained on average 7 grams of “added sugar” per 100ml – knowing that a tall glass can contain up to 125ml! While some had no “added sugar” (the good students on the panel…), others went up to 16 grams per 100 ml.
The researchers – whose work has been published in the British Medical Journal – even explain that, out of 203 products, 85 exceeded 19 grams of sugar per 100 ml, which is the equivalent of the maximum daily sugar intake recommended for children in the United Kingdom! As a reminder, the World Health Organization advises not to exceed 15 g of sugar per day for children (3 pieces). We are still far from it…
So, what drink to offer children? The best, of course, remains theStill water, which hydrates without providing additional calories. Otherwise, the researchers advise parents to avoid industrial smoothies and “100% pure juice” drinks, which are the sweetest.
