Grandparents would feed their grandchildren foods and drinks that are too sugary, which increases their risk of getting cavities and other health problems.
- 72% of mothers indicated that grandparents gave their young children sugary foods and drinks such as candies, pastries, industrial fruit juices or sodas.
- Over time, in addition to dental health problems, a diet with too many added sugars increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity, among other health problems.
- More than two-thirds of parents – precisely 68% – believe that their children consume more sugary foods and drinks at their grandparents’ house than at home.
Often, for a child, it’s easier to get sweet treats or soda from their grandparents than from their parents! Indeed, grandpa and grandma often want to please the youngest, sometimes forgetting that high doses of sugar are not good for the dental health of children.
Grandparents give foods and drinks that are too sweet
Researchers have tried to understand the reasons for this phenomenon and have, for two years, studied the data of 126 participants, mothers of children. Their work has been published in the journal Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).
Results: 72% of mothers indicated that grandparents gave their young children sweet foods and drinks such as candies, pastries, industrial fruit juices or sodas. They report that the quantities ingested by the little ones are too great and that with grandparents, there is often no limit to the consumption of these foods.
However, only half of the mothers – very precisely 51% – spoke about it with the grandparents. Several factors played into whether they talked about it, including the frequency with which grandparents saw their grandchildren, the dependence of mothers on grandparents for childcare, the amount of sugary foods and drinks that grandparents gave to children, as well as the strength of the relationship between mothers and their children’s grandparents.
A higher risk of cavities in children who eat too much sugar
“I have lots of fond memories of eating the candy jar at my own grandparents, and as a parent, I myself was hesitant to have some of these discussions, explains Dr. Genaro Romo, dentist and spokesperson for theAmerican Dental Association (ADA) in a communicated. Yet cavities are the most common chronic childhood disease and can cause severe pain, as well as problems with speaking, eating, playing and learning. Over time, in addition to dental health problems, a diet with too many added sugars increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity, among other health problems.”
A cavity is a progressive destruction of the tooth by bacteria. These are present naturally in the mouth but, according to theHealth Insurance, the consumption of sugar favors their presence, and therefore the risk of caries. The ideal way to avoid cavities is not to give sugar to children, especially the younger ones.
Another ADA survey of 1,002 American parents of children 17 or younger shows that more than two-thirds of parents – precisely 68% – think their children consume more sugary foods and beverages in their grandparents’ lives. -parents than at home. But do the parents talk about it with the grandparents? 73% say they could tell their parents but not their partner’s parents. Only 43% say they would talk about it with their partner’s parents and 34% say they could talk about it with their parents and those of their partner.
But, even if this conversation is difficult to have, it is necessary to broach the subject because the sugar consumption from an early age is very harmful to health.
