- Health A to Z
Judging from food labels, a spoonful of sugar makes everything go down. You may wonder how it affects your child's health.
Although it's easy to blame sugar for tooth decay, hyperactivity or obesity, the sweetener isn't always the villain.
Children need some sugar
The sugar called glucose is the main fuel for kids' brains, says Joan Carter, R.D., an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman. But that doesn't mean kids need to eat table sugar (sucrose).
"Their bodies can make glucose from any carbohydrate, such as starch (potatoes, bread or pasta)," says Ms. Carter, a child nutrition expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Sugar is not toxic
"There's nothing about table sugar that's toxic to anyone," says James P. Keating, M.D., professor of pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis. But how we use sugar matters.
For example, sugary foods that stick to kids' teeth may cause cavities. So will bottles of sugar-water given to babies at naptime. Children who drink a few cups of sweetened fruit juice a day consume less milk or nutritious foods and have a less nutritious diet, Dr. Keating says.
Some parents insist their children are overactive after eating sweets, but he sees no evidence that sugar causes hyperactivity.
Sugar alone can't cause obesity
It's hard to blame sugar for children's obesity. "It's just like any other food of caloric value. If you take too much of it, it will make you fat," says Dr. Keating.
Banning sugar won't keep children at a healthy weight, says Ms. Carter. "Look for foods that offer the most nutrients for the amount of sugar."
Secret sugars
Not all sugar is obvious:
Two tablespoons of barbecue sauce has 10 grams of sugar.
You'll find sugars labeled sucrose, fructose, lactose and maltose in foods. Sugars are also found in high concentrations in fruit juice concentrates, honey and molasses.