Support healthier diets in children to improve lifelong health: Paediatricians

OTTAWA – Diets high in sodium and free sugars are setting Canadian children up for chronic diseases later in life, but public health initiatives could help reverse that trend. That’s the message in two documents published today by the Canadian Paediatric Society offering recommendations for public policies to improve lifelong health outcomes for children.

While sodium is needed to support circulation and blood pressure, too much of it puts children at risk of chronic health issues – including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity – later in life.

Children who consume too much sodium may also drink more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), which tend to be calorie-dense and nutrient-deficient and are linked to childhood overweight and obesity and, in turn, higher rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. SSBs have also been strongly associated with dental caries.

Many Canadian children exceed their recommended daily intake of free sugars through sugar-sweetened beverages alone.

Free sugars include sugars added to food and beverages as well as those naturally present in honey, fruit juices, and syrups.

Based on current consumption patterns, we can expect to see over 2 million new cases of obesity and thousands of new cases of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease by 2041.

“Dietary habits are complex, so we need a multifaceted approach to effect real change,” said Dr. Catherine Pound, chair of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Nutrition and Gastroenterology Committee. “By encouraging healthy eating early on – both at the individual (family) level and through government policies – we can prevent a large number of cases of chronic diseases.”

In order to support optimal diets for Canadian children, the CPS recommends that clinicians provide guidance to families and educate caregivers on how to reduce daily intake of sodium and free sugars.

The CPS is also calling for public policies to improve children’s health, including:

• An excise tax of at least 20% on sugar-sweetened beverages, and using the revenue generated to support healthy active living programs and improving access to healthy food choices
• Setting mandatory sodium reduction targets for the food industry
• Regulating the marketing of foods high in sodium to children and youth
• Applying nutritional standards to food served to children in public institutions, such as childcare settings and hospitals, and food available for sale in schools

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The statements can be accessed at the links below:

Dietary intake of sodium by children: Why it matters

A proposal to increase taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages in Canada

About the Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national advocacy association that promotes the health needs of children and youth. Founded in 1922, the CPS represents more than 3,300 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and other child health professionals across Canada.