Cutting out sugar could improve kid’s health
A new study published in the journal Obesity found that reducing the amount of sugar in a child’s diet for just nine days can benefit their health.
Researchers observed a group of 43 African American and Hispanic children who were considered obese. For nine days, the children self-reported their daily intake in food and reduced their sugar intake from 28 percent to 10 percent.
At the end of the nine days, they had lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides and lower cholesterol, according to the study. They also had lost weight.
“Every aspect of their metabolic health got better, with no change in calories,” said study author Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, in a news release. “This study definitively shows that sugar is metabolically harmful not because of its calories or its effects on weight. Rather, sugar is metabolically harmful because it’s sugar.”
Dr. Joseph Thomas, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago, will talk to parents about their habits so they can teach their kids better choices.
“Nutrition is the key to so many ailments, and a person’s diet is important in avoiding serious health conditions,” says Dr. Thomas.
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