A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shows that 98% of toddlers and two-thirds of infants consume added sugars in their diets each day.
A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shows that 98% of toddlers and two-thirds of infants consume added sugars in their diets each day
On average, infants consumed a teaspoon of added sugar per day while toddlers consumed nearly 6 teaspoons a day. By comparison, the American Heart Association recommends that children aged younger than 2 years not consume any added sugars.
Researchers looked at a nationally representative sample of US infants aged 0 to 11 months and toddlers aged 12 to 23 months, for a total of 1211 participants. The sample came from a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which examined consumptionfrom 2011 to 2016. Researchers used paired t tests to compare differences by family income level, head of household education level, age, sex, and race/Hispanic origin.
The findings
· On any given day 84.4% of the infants and toddlers consumed added sugar.
· More toddlers (98.3%) consumed added sugar than infants (60.6%).
· Toddlers also consumed a greater amount of added sugar than infants (5.8 teaspoons vs 0.9 teaspoons).
· Non-Hispanic black toddlers consumed the most added sugar per day (8.2 teaspoons), followed by Hispanic toddlers (5.9 teaspoons), on-Hispanic white toddlers (5.3 teaspoons) and non-Hispanic Asian toddlers ( 3.7 teaspoons).
The top source of added sugars for infants included yogurt, baby food snacks, and sweet bakery products. Toddlers consumed their added sugar from sugars/sweets, fruit drinks, and sweet bakery products.
The study found that the mean amount of added sugar consumed by both infants and toddlers did decrease over the five-year study period; percent energy from added sugar, however, decreased only among infants.
Consumption of added sugars at these young ages is a concern because research has shown that eating patterns established early in life impact and shape eating patterns later in life.
HCPs can play an important role in addressing the US infant formula shortage
When breastfeeding is not an option, caregivers will turn to infant formulas to meet their child’s nutritional needs.