Negative Impacts of Sugar on Children

For generations, parents have been attempting to monitor their children’s indulgent habits of what appeals to their “sweet tooth” the most: sugar.

For generations, parents have been attempting to monitor their children’s indulgent habits of what appeals to their “sweet tooth” the most: sugar. This comes in various forms of decadent desserts, ice cream, cakes, soda, candy, and chocolate—basically anything a child willingly wants to eat.

Often times, parents’ efforts intend to prevent their kids from bouncing off the walls during nap time. Though a calmer day is appealing to most adults, in actuality, sugar intake for children should also be limited for health reasons.

Among effects we commonly associate with sugar consumption—such as tooth decay, increased risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, alteration of behavior and decreased attention span—it can also cause other health problems. Dr. Julie Wei, a pediatric otolaryngologist, explained that sometimes when her patients experienced cold, cough and allergy-like symptoms, (such as a runny noses, mucus, cough and sinus infections) their prescribed medication did little to alleviate them. She realized, then, that their symptoms actually may be caused by the intake of too much sugar. Wei added that “if we get rid of symptoms, kids won’t need the medicine.”

Moreover, some kids suffer from croup and acid reflux at young ages. These conditions occur when children appear to be completely healthy before they go to sleep, but when they wake in the middle of the night, they suffer from a strenuous cough and difficulty breathing. Dr. Wei deduced that most of the children experiencing these symptoms drank chocolate milk. Dairy combined with a large influx of sugar becomes harder to digest and causes a high level of acidity.

Often, we medicate children with over-the-counter treatments that alleviate these symptoms—however, we fail to recognize the actual issue at hand. These children aren’t suffering from some ambiguous disease for which they need to turn to medicine, they have a very high intake of daily acid than they should be exposed to, which can be completely controlled.

Sugar also causes a weak immune system. The body is made up of billions of good bacteria that are associated with digestion, production of vitamins and protection from disease. A high intake of sugar interferes with these functions—it weakens the immune system because it changes the dynamic between the good and bad bacteria.

For example, if you consume about 24 oz of soda, which is equivalent to 20 teaspoons of sugar, the body’s natural immune responses are suppressed. Sugars such as glucose, table sugar, fructose and honey, perpetuate a 50 percent drop in the abilities of white blood cells to engulf bacteria. This intake of sugar has a lasting effect for 5 hours, with the first 2 being the most potent. Therefore, the consumption of just two sodas a day already reveals a significant impact sugar has on the body.

Recent research by the National Institutes of Health explicitly details how harmful sugar really is for kids. One such study assessed obese children who reduced their sugar intake; after just 10 days, they found noticeable improvements in their cholesterol and blood pressure. In the experiment, foods from the children’s diets that had added sugar were substituted with alternate forms of carbohydrates. Therefore, the calorie intake and child’s weight remained the same—however, health effects did change. The results of this study reaffirmed the undeniable effects sugar has on health.

One of the most common and long-lasting effects of sugar consumption is poor dietary habits. While some children become labeled as picky eaters at a very young age, it is not always so. High sugar intake often causes stomach irritation and poor appetite, which prevents children from eating foods that are healthier for them. If they are unable to alter these dietary choices at a younger age, it may become a repetitive pattern which will result in greater health risks during adulthood.

Therefore, it is safe to say, sugar leads to more sugar! The more you consume, the more you crave. If you eat a meal that consists of a large amount of sugar, this raises your blood glucose level, which then also increases the amount of insulin in your bloodstream. In turn, the greater amount of insulin causes cravings.

The remedies for most of these health concerns are very clear: It is necessary to limit the amounts of sugar in found in your child’s meals, snacks and beverages to ensure better overall health.