Parents should moderate the amount of sugar their children eat. This isn't easy, both because children enjoy sugary treats and because food manufacturers load their products with sugar to improve taste and texture. But by carefully studying nutrition labels to monitor what children eat and offering healthy substitutes, such as fruits and vegetables, parents can limit the harm sugar does to their children.
Energy
Sugar's effects on the energy levels of children aren't well understood. One possibility is that because refined sugars and carbohydrates enter the bloodstream quickly, children's blood glucose levels might increase rapidly. The rapid fluctuations might trigger their bodies to produce adrenaline, which increases energy levels. Then, after adrenaline levels drop, children might experience a subsequent decrease in energy.
Weight Gain
Sugar contains many calories, so if it accompanies sedentary behavior, children might gain too much weight. Limiting candy, cookies and cakes will help, but "sweetened drinks are the largest source of added sugar in the daily diets of U.S. children," according to KidsHealth from Nemours. The organization points out that a 12 oz. serving of a typical soft drink might contain the equivalent of 10 tsp. of sugar and 150 calories. A high-sugar diet increases a child's chance for obesity, which in turn increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes and other health problems.
Tooth Decay
Eating sugar can increase tooth decay, especially if the sugar product dissolves slowly. For example, hard candies, cough drops and breath mints stay in the mouth for a long time. The longer sugar is in your mouth, the more damage it can do to your tooth enamel due to the increased presence of acids. If other types of food accompany the sugary product, the increased amount of saliva helps to counteract the negative effects of sugar. In other words, if your children eat sugary products, make sure they eat something else, such as fruit, at the same time.
Infants
Nursing mothers should be especially wary about giving infants sugary fluids, such as fruit juice. Breast milk slows bacterial growth and acid production, so minimizes tooth decay, but a nursing mother who alternates breast milk with sugary foods and drinks might increase a child's rate of tooth decay faster than if she fed the child sugary products alone, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It recommends that you avoid letting your child use a bottle of juice or milk as a pacifier, as continuous exposure increases the chances of tooth decay. Also, don't dip pacifiers in honey, syrup or sugar.
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