Sugar in children's diets: main sources

April 13 2021

What role does sugar play in children's diets? Is sugar even needed? Whether sweets for a one-year-old child or is baby sugar a good idea? What is the the effect of sugar on the child's body and what they can be effects of children's eating sweets? Do warnings before hidden sources of sugar are they justified? Read about everything that every conscientious parent about sugar in a child's diet he should know.

To answer most of your questions about sugar in a child's diet, it is worth explaining the very concept of sugar, so often used in everyday life, to begin with. In common sense, it usually means added sugar, e.g. beet or cane sugar.

What is sugar?

For the purposes of labeling food products, a definition of sugars was adopted, the basis of which is the scientific division of this group of compounds. The term "sugars" in the labeling of food products means simple sugars (glucose, fructose) and disaccharides (sucrose, lactose) found naturally in foods or added to products. The sugar content declared in the table of nutritional values is therefore sum of all contained in the product:

naturally occurring sugars (these include, for example, lactose - sugar found in milk and milk products, as well as fructose - contained, for example, in fresh and dried fruit) and
added sugars (e.g. white sugar, brown sugar).

In addition to the term "sugars", the labeling of food products also includes the term "carbohydrates"Which refers to the total amount of digestible carbohydrates in a given product, ie starches, polyols (polyols) and the aforementioned sugars (simple and disaccharides, including added ones).

Małgorzata Wiek

Dietitian, Human Nutrition Specialist, Nutrition Department, Gastroenterological Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child

The expert advises:

Pursuant to the applicable legal provisions, i.e. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers, one of the mandatory information that must appear on the packaging of food products is the nutritional value. It is expressed in terms of 100 g or 100 ml of the product. It is important to remember that "nutrition declaration" or "nutrition labeling" means information that specifies the energy value of a product and the content of specific nutrients, such as: protein, fat, carbohydrate, salt, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

When exploring the topic of sugars in the diet, we often come across the term "added sugars" - let's take a closer look at them.

Sugars added and hidden sources of sugar

Although information on added sugars is not found in the nutritional tableBecause - in accordance with the applicable provisions of food law - this term has not been defined, it may arouse the greatest interest. Added sugars these are sugars added to food during food processing or preparation for consumption, i.e. white and brown sugar, corn and maple syrup, honey, dextrose. It is worth remembering and noting that the sugars listed in the nutritional table are only partially derived from added sugar.

Małgorzata Wiek

Dietitian, Human Nutrition Specialist, Nutrition Department, Gastroenterological Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child

The expert advises:

According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), these are sugars added to food by the producer, cook or consumer plus sugars naturally occurring in honey, syrups, and fruit and vegetable juices. The WHO does not include the naturally occurring sugars found in milk (lactose) and fresh, unprocessed fruit and vegetables for added sugars.

Exactly that added sugar is present in many sweet products available on store shelves - such as, for example, sweets, drinks, but it is also "hidden" in articles that are less obvious at first glance, such as ready-made meals (e.g. meatballs from a jar) or food such as fast food. Therefore, such products are referred to as hidden sources of sugar.

Is sugar needed?

The role of carbohydrates in the body is very important for its proper functioning. Carbohydrates are the basic source of easily digestible energy, necessary, among others down:

maintaining the right body temperature,
work of the brain, muscles, heart and other internal organs,
physical activity.

also carbohydrates they occur in the human body in combination with proteins and lipids and in this form they are used to build various cell structures

So sugars are needed for the proper growth and development of a child, but they should come primarily from products that are a source of complex carbohydrates, e.g. from wholemeal bread, oatmeal, buckwheat, brown rice, whole grain pasta.

The influence of sugars on the child's organism

From a nutritional point of view, both the deficiency and the excess of carbohydrates in the children's diet (as well as adults) is unfavorable. Their insufficient consumption may contribute to the fact that the body begins to use protein as a source of energy, and should treat them as a building material, e.g. for the regeneration of tissues and cells. The use of diets with a low proportion of carbohydrates may also lead to nutritional deficiencies of selected vitamins (B group, vitamins A, E, C) and minerals (zinc, copper and selenium), constipation (due to the low supply of fiber) or acidification of the body.

Sylwia Snopek
Dietitian at the Diabetes Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child

The expert advises:
Sugars are necessary for the proper growth and development of a child, but they should come primarily from products that are a source of complex carbohydrates, such as wholemeal bread, oatmeal, buckwheat, brown rice, whole grain pasta. However, products rich in added sugars, such as: sweets, sweetened drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, fruit yoghurts, milk desserts, flavored milks, highly sweetened jams, marmalades, preserves, confectionery bread, should be avoided. The fewer of them on your child's menu, the better for their health.

Excessive is a much bigger problem these days carbohydrate consumption, leading to tooth decay and the development of chronic non-communicable diseases such as overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes. The results of previous studies have shown that both the amount and type of consumed carbohydrates are important in the development of diet-related diseases. In this respect, sucrose has the greatest share and importance in nutrition. Sucrose occurs naturally in small amounts in some fruits and vegetables, e.g. nectarines, peaches, red beet, carrots. However, the main source of it in the diet is processed food. It is the most common carbohydrate added to food in the form of white or brown sugar. Sucrose is also commonly used in households as refined sugar, which is the most problematic to consume in excess.

Małgorzata Wiek

Dietitian, Human Nutrition Specialist, Nutrition Department, Gastroenterological Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child

The expert advises:

Carbohydrates in certain amounts should supplement the energy pool of the daily diet, taking into account the energy provided by the consumed protein and fats. It is considered that the most important factor influencing the body's need for carbohydrates is the energy needs of the brain. It is estimated that for children over 1 year of age and adults, a daily intake of no less than 130 g of carbohydrates is sufficient to meet the brain's glucose requirements.

Effects of children eating sweets

Is sugar added to baby food or sweets for a one-year-old baby a good idea? As the results of the study by Charzewska et al. (1) show, the most sucrose in the diets of children (4 years old) and adolescents (11-15 years old) is mainly supplied by three groups of products, such as:

sugar added from the sugar bowl,
sweets,
juices, drinks, nectars, compotes.

The listed products are the source over 60% of sucrose in the diets of children and adolescents. In adolescents, an additional 13,9% of the consumed sucrose comes from sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, which means that 4 groups of products provide a total of 75% of sucrose in the diet. Dairy products provide a relatively small amount of sucrose in the diet - in children 7,7% (fifth place), adolescents 2,7% (eighth place).

Among the mentioned groups of products, they deserve special attention sweetened drinks, due to the proven direct relationship between their consumption and the development of overweight and obesity. The results of the research showed that children who consumed excessive amounts of sugar in sweet drinks in early childhood (from 0,5 to 2 years) had BMI values higher than their peers at the age of 7 (2). Another study in children 10 years of age highlighted the fact that along with the increase in sugar consumption, the average consumption of many ingredients desirable in the diet decreased (e.g. proteins, B vitamins, iron, zinc) (3). These are just some of the effects of children eating sweets and drinking sweetened beverages.

Małgorzata Wiek

Dietitian, Human Nutrition Specialist, Nutrition Department, Gastroenterological Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child

The expert advises:

Therefore, in the nutrition of children, it is advisable to avoid products that are a source of added sugars (sweets, sweet drinks). Recommendations of Polish and international scientific societies say that they should be completely avoided in the diet of the youngest children, while in older children their consumption should be strictly limited (5). The diet should primarily contain products that are a source of complex carbohydrates, i.e. varied types of bread - wholemeal, light and dark, various types of coarse and fine groats and cereals. Products with the addition of simple sugars should be avoided, preferring those with a natural sugar content. The fluid recommended in the nutrition of children, even the youngest ones, is primarily water. Beverages containing sugars should not be given.

Sugar in a child's diet: the important role of parents

Food preferences, relating primarily to the sweet taste, and nutritional behavior begin to form already in early childhood, and persist in adolescence and early adulthood. That is why it is extremely important parents' concern for the correct eating habits of their children. It is worth teaching your children from an early age that products such as sweets, confectionery bread (e.g. buns with icing) should appear in the menu as rarely as possible. A properly balanced diet, taking into account the optimal number and quality of meals, is a very important element of the diet. When composing a child's menu, it is worth taking care of its variety, because the more varied the menu, the greater the chance that you will provide your child with everything he needs.

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Sylwia Snopek

Dietitian at the Diabetes Clinic, Institute of Mother and Child

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Źródła:

Charzewska J., Wajszczyk B., Chwojnowska Z., Chabros E .: Consumption of sucrose and product groups of its main sources in the diets of children and adolescents: Human Nutrition and Metabolism, 2013, XL, No. 3;
Herbst A., Diethelm K., Cheng G., et al .: Direction of associations between added sugar intake in early childhood and Body Mass Index at age 7 years may depend on intake levels: J. Nutr., 2011, 141, 1348 -1354;
Farris RP, Nicklas TA, Myers L., Berenson GS: Nutrient intake and food group Consumption of 10-year olds by sugar intake level: The Bogalusa Heart Study, J. Am. Coll. Nutr., 1998, 17, 6, 579-585;
Jarosz M., Rychlik E., Stoś K., Charzewska J. [eds.]: Nutrition standards for the Polish population and their application. National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Warsaw 2020;
Dziechciarz P., Horvath A., Socha P., Gajewska D., Rachtan-Janicka J., Mazur A., Kułaga Z .: Sugars in the nutrition of children and adolescents - the position of the Polish Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition of Children. Medical Standards / Pediatrics, 5, 2019.