The advisory is in line with American Heart Association guidelines which also mentions that people within this age group should consume less than six teaspoons of added sugars in a day
Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) have released an advisory to raise awareness about the long-term health implications the excessive consumption of sugar can have on a child’s health. This advisory issued by IMA & HCFI is in line with American Heart Association guidelines published in the journal Circulation.
Says, Dr KK Aggarwal, National President Elect, IMA and President HCFI, “Children aged 2-18 years should consume less than six teaspoons of added sugars a day and less than eight ounce of sugar-sweetened drinks a week. Table sugar, fructose and honey, sugar used in processing and preparing foods or beverages or sugars added to foods at the table, or eaten separately are added sugars. Children younger than two years should not consume added sugars at all.”
Regular consumption of foods and drinks high in added sugars can lead to high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Sugars remain a commonly added ingredient in foods and drinks.
A few negative effects of added sugar on a person’s heath are:
- Added sugar contains no essential nutrients and is bad for your teeth
- Added sugar is high in fructose, which can overload your liver
- Overloading the liver with fructose can cause Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Sugar can cause insulin resistance, a stepping-stone towards metabolic syndrome and diabetes
- The insulin resistance can progress to Type II diabetes
- Sugar can cause cancer
- Due to its effects on hormones and the brain, sugar has unique fat-promoting effects
- Because it causes massive dopamine release in the brain, sugar is highly addictive
- Sugar is a leading contributor to obesity in both children and adult
- It isn’t the fat but the sugar that raises cholesterol and gives heart disease