Not all sugar is created equal. Indeed, when it comes to childhood obesity, the source of sugar is much more important than the total amount consumed, new research suggests.
Roughly 1 in 5 children and teenagers in the United States live with obesity, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood obesity is associated with an increased risk of various health conditions, including high blood pressure and heart disease, diabetes and breathing problems, as well as psychological problems.
One of the leading causes of childhood obesity is overconsumption of sugary foods, with American children eating nearly three times the World Health Organization's recommended 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day. However, added sugar accounts for only a small percentage of those we might come across in our diets.
"The high consumption of sugary foods is considered a risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity and so children are advised to consume less sugar-rich foods, such as confectionery, cakes and sugar-sweetened drinks, and eat more fruit and unsweetened dairy products, such as milk and yoghurt," lead researcher Junyang Zou, an epidemiologist at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, said in a statement.
"But while fruit and unsweetened dairy products are considered healthy, they contain high amounts of intrinsic sugars—sugar that occurs naturally in the food, rather than being added. We wanted to know if the source of sugar, added versus intrinsic, as well as the amount, affects the likelihood of developing overweight or obesity."
Zou said that this association has been studied before but with conflicting results. To remedy this, Zou and colleagues extracted data from the GECKO Drenthe study, an ongoing longitudinal study of children born between 2006 and 2007 in the northern Netherlands. The researchers crunched the numbers to see if there were any associations between total sugar intake in early childhood and the intake of different sugar sources on children's weight, weight gain and childhood obesity.
In total, 817 children were included in the analysis who had a healthy weight at the age of 3. On average, these kids ate an average of 112 grams [4 ounces] of sugar every day, including both natural and added sugars. The main sources of sugar were as follows:
- Sugar-sweetened beverages—41.7 grams [1.5 ounces] a day (on average)
- Dairy products—18.6 grams [0.7 ounces] a day
- Sugary snacks—13.1 grams a day
- Fruits—13 grams [0.5 ounces] a day.
By the ages of 10 and 11, 102 of these children had become overweight or obese. Interestingly, total sugar intake at age 3 did not seem to be associated with BMI at ages 10 and 11. However, what was associated with a higher BMI was sugar intake from sugary snacks.
In contrast, a higher daily sugar intake from whole fruits was related to a lower BMI score and less weight gain at ages 10 and 11. Higher intake of sugars from unsweetened liquid dairy products like milk was also related to a lower chance of developing obesity or an overweight BMI. Indeed, children with the highest intake of these dairy products at age 3 has a 67 percent lower risk of going on to be overweight or obese by the ages of 10 and 11, compared to those with the lowest intake.
The study did not investigate why these different sugar sources affect weight differently. However, the researchers suggest that it might have something to do with the slower release of sugar from a piece of fruit compared to a sugary snack, as well as difference in how sugars from different foods interact with our bodies.
Of course, this study is also based on associations and observations, so more work is needed to confirm any potential biochemical mechanisms at play here. But the data does suggest that, when it comes to childhood obesity, the source of sugar may be more important than the amount.
"Children should be encouraged to have fruit and milk instead of sweetened milk and yoghurt drinks, sweets, cakes and other foods rich in added sugar," Zou said.
The results are being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy, until May 15.
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