Almost all American toddlers and about two-thirds of infants consume sugar, [4199005] although nutritionists have recommended that children should avoid the sweetener.
Researchers use data From 2011 to 2016, 98 percent of infants aged 12 to 23 months consumed sugar in fruit drinks, baked goods, sweets and ready-to-eat cereals from 2011 to 2016. Young infants ate the most added sugar – about eight teaspoons a day – while toddlers of Asian descent consumed the least, about 3.7 teaspoons a day.
"The most important thing to take away is that the added sugar is everywhere," said the lead investigator of the study, Kirsten Herrick now works in the Department of Cancer Control and Population of the National Cancer Institute. "What's surprising is how fast the added sugar exceeds the recommended daily amounts." about a teaspoon of sugar a day. He said the size of the study was too small to draw scientific conclusions about the breed. Herrick. The results were published on Thursday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
In 2016, the American Cancer Society published dietary guidelines requiring adults to limit the addition of sugar to 10 percent of their daily calories. In particular, it was proposed to reduce the number of sweetened drinks including fruit and sports drinks they consume. Sugar is not only associated with weight gain, but also with many cancers, society says.
Dr. Herrick said that the consumption of sugar in teenagers and older children has been linked to tooth decay, asthma, obesity and high blood pressure. However, in the midst of worrying levels of sugar intake, researchers also observed that overall infant intake of sugar decreased.
Dr. Herrick warned that exposing children to sugary foods at a young age could affect taste preferences as they get older.
"There is no reason to offer sugared drinks to toddlers and infants," she said. "They need nutrient-rich foods."
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