A study observed that the type of sugar consumed is more important than the quantity in the onset of childhood obesity.
- The origin of sugar may be important in the development of childhood obesity.
- Young children who consume dairy products without added sugar have a 67% lower risk of being overweight or obese at the age of 10/11, according to a Dutch study.
- A greater consumption of sugar from sweet snacks (sweets, confectionery, chocolate) was associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) at 10/11 years of age.
Dutch researchers recently suggested that the origin of sugar plays a key role compared to the quantity ingested during early childhood in the development of childhood obesity. Their work was presented on the occasion of the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice (Italy).
The influence of the type of sugar on the occurrence of childhood obesity
To reach this conclusion, scientists analyzed the responses to a questionnaire, completed by parents, on the food intake of 891 children aged around three years. They then observed the influence of total sugar intake and sugar intake from different sources on weight gain and the development of overweight and obesity. At the start of the study, the children’s height and weight were also measured by nurses, to obtain their body mass index (BMI). This score was assessed again at the age of 10/11 years.
The average daily sugar intake was 112 grams (g). The main sources of sugar were fruits (average daily intake: 13 g), dairy products (18.6 g), sugary drinks (41.7 g) and sugary snacks (13.1 g).
“Children must be encouraged to consume fruit and milk”
According to the results, a higher consumption of sugar from sweet snacks (cakes, sweets, chocolate) was linked to a higher BMI score at 10/11 years old. 102 children with normal weight at the age of three had developed overweight or obesity at the age of 10/11.
On the other hand, children who consumed the majority of sugar from dairy products without added sugar, such as milk, were less likely to be overweight or obese at the age of 10/11. Three-year-old children who consumed the most of these products had a 67% lower risk of being affected by these chronic diseases compared to other children who ate less. To prevent these risks, “Children should be encouraged to consume fruit and milk rather than sweetened milk and yoghurt drinks, sweets, cakes and other foods high in added sugar”, Junyang Zou advocated, lead author of the study and researcher at the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Groningen and the University Medical Center Groningen (Netherlands).
