Experts in the field of cardiovascular diseases have determined the universal norm of sweets for children from 2 to 18 years old.
People aged 2-18 years should consume no more than 25 grams of sugar every day – that’s six teaspoons. American experts came to this conclusion. An article about this was published in the scientific journal Circulation, dedicated to research in the field of cardiovascular diseases.
Such a specifically named amount of sugar for such different age groups of children is explained by the fact that experts wanted to give average and universal advice that would be well remembered by adults. According to doctors, any amount of sugar over 6 teaspoons per day is an additional risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity. And the point here is not only in the properties of the sweetest substance itself. An excess of sugar in the diet also has an indirect effect on health: children who abuse sweets eat less healthy foods – for example, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products.
As for children under two years of age, researchers advise eliminating sugar completely from their diet. Since babies don’t need a lot of calories, they don’t need sweets. In addition, it is in the first years of a person’s life that his further food preferences develop. If you give children sweets at this time, then in the future they will choose these more “tasty” products to the detriment of more natural and healthy ones.
The main source of sugar in the modern world is a variety of sweet drinks: carbonated lemonades, reconstituted juices and nectars, energy drinks, iced teas and even sports liquids. For example, just one 0.33-liter can of cola contains 10 teaspoons of sugar – a two-day requirement for people aged 2 to 18 years.
