Toddlers Consume 22kg of Sugar a Year, Increasing Their Risk for Obesity

Snacking between meals and drinking too much of carbonated drinks lead to increased sugar consumption among children. A public health campaign in the UK has revealed that children aged between four and 10 consume 22kg in sugar every year.

The “Sugar Smart campaign” is focused on promoting the hazards of increased sugar consumption and also urges parents to take control of their children’s diet.

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‘Four to 10-year-olds consume the equivalent of more than 5,500 sugar cubes a year - around 22 kilos or the average weight of a five-year-old.’

Children are mainly attracted to soft drinks, biscuits, buns, cakes, breakfast cereals, candies, fruit juices, pastries and puddings. The 22kg they consume is equivalent to 5,500 sugar cubes.

The maximum added sugar intake for seven- to 10-year-olds is 24g, or six sugar cubes; and for children aged 11 or older, it is 30g or seven sugar cubes.

Now as a part of the campaign, it has launched a free app that scans the barcode of a product to reveal the amount of sugar it contains in cubes and grams. It also warns that obesity and tooth decay are among the consequences of increased sugar intake.

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Dr. Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist for Public Health England, said, “Children are having too much sugar. This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, which can also affect children’s wellbeing as they are more likely to be bullied, have low self-esteem and miss school.

”Children aged five shouldn’t have more than 19 grams of sugar per day – that’s five cubes, but it’s very easy to have more. Our easy-to-use app will help parents see exactly where the sugar in their children’s diet is coming from, so they can make informed choices about what to cut down on.”

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Added sugars are increasing rapidly in the diets of people living in developing countries, while many high-income countries are seeing slight decline in consumption.

The campaign will include television, digital and outdoor advertising, and five million Smart packs will be given to children and their families through schools, local authorities and retailers.

Source-Medindia

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