A new study conducted from 2011 to 2016 has revealed that almost two-thirds of babies and nearly all toddlers consume added sugars on a daily basis, despite expert recommendations.
In toddlers (children ages 12 to 23 months), that number was 98.3 percent. Black toddlers consumed the most added sugar in the studied demographics, at 8.2 tsp. per day, while Asian toddlers came in lowest, at 3.7 tsp.
In the babies group, researchers found that 60.6 percent of children aged 0 to 11 months ate added sugar every day. (Demographic data for the infant study was not available.)
“The most important thing totake away is that added sugarsare everywhere,” Herrick toldThe New York Timesabout her team’s findings. “What is surprising is how added sugar quickly exceeds the recommended daily amounts.”
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In a set of guidelines published this past March, theAmerican Academy of Pediatricsrecommended that parents should “avoid serving food and drinks with added sugar to children under 2 years of age.”
They also urged limiting 100 percent fruit juice, which “has more sugar per serving than whole fruit.” Specifically, “The AAP recommendsno more than4 ounces of 100 percent fruit juice a day for children ages 1 through 3 years; 4 to 6 ounces for children ages 4 through 6; and 8 ounces for children ages 7 through 14.”
“Do not give fruit juice toinfants under 1 year old,” the AAP said, while theAmerican Heart Associationprovides a similar guideline in an article published just this past September: “Children younger than 1 should avoid juice, even 100% fruit juice.”
Child eating a lollipop.Getty
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Herrick echoed these recommendations inher conversation withNYT, saying, “There is no reason to provide sugar-sweetened beverages” to children under age 2. She added, “They need nutrient-dense foods.”
She also spoke withCNN, pointing out, “The consumption of added sugars among children has been associated with negative health conditions such as cavities, asthma, obesity, elevated blood pressure and altered lipid profiles.”
“Whether these associations exist for even younger children hasn’t been studied,” Herrick told the outlet. “The aim of this study was to focus on one aspect of diet —added sugars [and] consumptionamong U.S. infants and toddlers — that could inform the dietary guidelines.”
source: people.com
