We all know how harmful sugar is in our own diet (why else would we try so hard to cut it out?), but alarming new research has emerged regarding its impact on our little ones.

 

‘Second-hand sugars’ have been found to pose a threat to the development and long-term health of babies and young children.

 

These sugars are ‘second-hand’, because they are being fed to our children through our diet, in pregnancy and nursing; as well as through formulas, baby foods and drinks.

 

The danger posed by second-hand sugars, which has even been likened to passive smoking by some, was established in a study by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

As part of the study, researchers analysed the diets of almost 1,200 infants, over a period of six years.

 

The results were alarming: those children given sugary drinks three times a week were, by the age of 10 to 12 months, twice as likely to become obese.

 

 

Just as concerning was the revelation that many of these children are feeling the effects of second-hand sugar from as early on as in the womb, through their mothers’ diets.

 

The increased risk of obesity aside, second-hand sugars were also found to pose a risk to the child’s overall development and health.

 

The research results have prompted calls for educational programmes to be rolled out, to educate more parents about the dangers of high sugar consumption.

 

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