Children consuming too much sugar: Report

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMar 1 2012

According to new data children are consuming too much sugar than they should, and processed and packaged foods, not beverages, are the leading source in their diets.

The results are from more than 7,100 interviews conducted from 2005 to 2008. Parents answered questions for children under age 9; those older than 9 participated in the survey.

The children are downing an average of 322 calories a day from added sugars, or about 16% of their daily calories. Boys consume 362 calories a day from them; girls, 282 calories. The data from the National Center for Health Statistics, released Wednesday, show 59% of added-sugar calories come from foods and 41% from beverages. But soft drinks are still the biggest single source of added sugars in children's diets. The report adds that 63 percent calories from added sugars are consumed at home and income level does not affect sugar intake.

Non-Hispanic white children and adolescents consumed a larger percentage of their calories from added sugars than Mexican-American children and adolescents. Also, non-Hispanic black girls consumed a larger percentage of their calories from added sugars than Mexican-American girls.

Children consumed more of their calories from added sugars as they aged, according to the report. The amount of calories consumed from added sugars was 13.5% of total calories for boys in preschool, 16.6% for boys ages 6 to 11 and 17.5% for boys ages 12 to 19. For girls, the rates were 13% in preschool, 15.7% from ages 6 to 11 and 16.6% from ages 12 to 19.

The report explains that added sugars are table sugar, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, molasses and other caloric sweeteners in prepared and processed foods and beverages, such as cakes, candy, cookies, muffins, soft drinks, jams, chocolates and ice cream. Not included in this analysis are sugars in fruit and 100% fruit juice.

“Soda consumption is high, but we shouldn't lose sight of the added sugars in foods such as muffins, cookies, sugar-sweetened cereals and pasta sauces,” says Cynthia Ogden, senior author on the report and an epidemiologist with the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Many processed foods have added sugars. Those foods contribute more than the beverages.”

Ogden, in an earlier analysis showed that teens who drink soda, energy drinks and other sugary beverages are taking in about 327 calories a day from them, which is equal to about 2½ cans of cola.

The report emphasizes that a diet high in added sugars is linked to many poor health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. A third of children in this country are overweight or obese.

American Heart Association advises that most women consume no more than 100 calories a day from added sugars, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it's 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons. The limit of 100 to 150 calories a day from added sugars could apply to children, too, says Rachel Johnson, a spokeswoman for the heart association and a nutrition professor at the University of Vermont. Dietary guidelines from the Department of Agriculture recommend getting no more than 15% of daily calories from sugar and fat combined.

“I continue to be amazed at the added sugars that Americans are consuming,” Johnson says. “Added sugars do one of two things — they either displace nutritious foods in the diet or add empty calories. Most of us don't have room in our diets for this many calories from added sugars.”

Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, agrees. “A major problem is that sugar contains nothing nutritional, and it is edging out the food kids should be eating, especially real fruits and vegetables.”