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In a policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants more strategic approaches to reduce the excessive consumption of high-sugar drinks in children. These include a higher excise tax on beverages and a reduction in marketing efforts targeting the younger ones. The American Beverage Association, meanwhile, wants parents to be more involved. ( Artem Bali | Unsplash )
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement outlining the desired approaches to reduce the excessive consumption of high-sugar beverages in children.
The paper published in pediatrics in March 2019, pointed out that American children consumed more added sugar in their drinks than dietary recommendations.
It usually comes from refined fruit juices and products containing sucrose, high fructose corn syrup and glucose. It does not cover natural sugars from fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
These sugars represent 17%, almost half of the calories consumed. The recommended dietary recommendations limit them to 10% maximum.
Policy Recommendations
Experts have proposed six policy changes to discourage the consumption of high-sugar beverages, particularly among minority children and low-income families who tend to be the most vulnerable:
- Increase the prices of these drinks by imposing a higher excise tax
- Decrease in marketing exposure by prohibiting companies from deducting from their taxes the expenses related to these advertisements
- Enhance federal nutrition badistance programs, including limiting children's access to sugary drinks and increasing the availability of healthy foods
- Improve access to nutrition information from nutrition labels, advertisements and restaurant menus
- Make healthy beverages such as milk and water water the default options in the children's menu or diet
- Encourage hospitals to disincenate or limit the purchase of high-sugar beverages
"Pediatricians can tailor their advocacy efforts to approaches that may result in decreased access to and consumption of sugary drinks by the children and families they serve, whether local, regional or federal, "the statement said.
The American Beverage Association, meanwhile, has already issued an answer.
"US beverage companies think there is a better way to reduce the amount of sugar consumed by consumers, which means leaving parents behind to decide what is best for their children," he said. said William Dermody, spokesman for the badociation.
Other groups call for similar recommendations
Consumption of high-sugar beverages in children and adolescents increases the risk of developing chronic diseases at an early stage. These include cardiovascular disorders and type 2 diabetes.
For this reason, other organizations had already resorted to strict policy changes before. The World Health Organization has supported rising taxes on beverages and sugary products, which other countries such as Mexico have already adopted.
The American Heart Association suggests limiting daily intake of added sugars to less than 0.88 ounces for children ages 2 to 18 years.
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