Cardiovascular illnesses, Type 2 diabetes, digestive 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 that we consume on a daily basis (industrial sauces, cereals, beer, cold meats …) and it is addictive!
British researchers from London and Liverpool wanted to know how much our children were concerned by this public health problem. 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 the sugar level for each drink, taking care not to count the sugars naturally present in the fruits (from fructose, principally).
3 lumps of sugar per day, no more
Results ? These drinks contained an average of 7 grams of “added sugar” per 100ml – knowing that a tall glass can hold up to 125ml! If some had no “added sugar” (the good students of 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, the equivalent of the maximum daily intake of sugar 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 (ie 3 pieces). We are still far from it …
So, what drink to offer children? The best, of course, remains theStill water, which hydrates without adding extra calories. Otherwise, researchers advise parents to avoid industrial smoothies and “100% pure” drinks, which are the sweetest.
