Study: More Than 6 Teaspoons of Sugar is Bad for Children

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Consuming more than six teaspoons of sugar a day is dangerous for children, concluded a report conducted by Emory School of Medicine and published in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Circulation, the Daily Mail reports.

The report also warns that children under two should have zero sugar in their diets.

“Our target recommendation is the same for all children between the ages of two and 18 to keep it simple for parents and public health advocates,” Dr. Miriam Vos told the Daily Mail.

Foods / drinks with over 6 teaspoons of sugar include popular snacks such as a can of coke (9.25 tsp), M&M’s (7.25 tsp) and Sprite ( 8.25 tsp).

“If your child is eating the right amount of calories to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight, there isn’t much room in their food “budget” for low-value junk foods, which is where most added sugars are found,” Dr. Vos added.

Learn more about the impact of sugar on Latino kids and families in Salud America!‘s research review on sugary drinks.