Savoring Sweet: Sugars in Infant and Toddler Feeding

Abstract

During the first years of life, the sweetness of sugars has a capacity to hinder or to help in laying a strong nutritional foundation for food preferences that often extend over a lifetime. Aside from supplying 4 g/kcal of energy, sugars are non-nutritive. However, sugars have a powerful attribute, sweetness, which strongly influences human food preference. A child's first relationship with sweet taste begins even before birth and continues to evolve throughout complementary feeding. The sweetness of breastmilk encourages consumption and soothes the neonate. Conversely, inappropriate introduction of non-milk solids and beverages that are sweet at 0-4 months of age raises the newborn's risk for later obesity and may discourage the acceptance of other bitter or sour foods. Although cereals, fruits, 100% fruit juices, and some grains have naturally occurring sugars that impart sweet flavor notes, there is no clear role for added sugars between 6 and 12 months of age. Yet, 60% of infants are introduced to foods and beverages containing added sugars, threatening diet quality. Pairing foods with naturally occurring sugars, such as fruits, with foods that tend to be resisted initially, such as vegetables, can mask bitterness and promote acceptance. Utilizing the infants' extraordinary capacity for sensory-motor exploration is another strategy to expose them repeatedly to challenging tastes and flavors. The transitional year, as breast milk and infant formula are withdrawn, is a time when nutritional needs are high and diet quality often precarious. Rapid growth, along with brain and cognitive development, demand high-quality nutrition. Snacks are necessary both for energy and valuable nutrients. However, the selection of snack foods often exposes toddlers to items that offer concentrated energy with low nutrient value. Recent trends suggest a rapid fall in added sugars among infants and toddlers. Parenting practices that use small amounts of sugars to promote nutrient-rich foods from all 5 food groups can enhance rather than hinder their child's emerging dietary pattern.

The Impact of Adding Sugars to Milk and Fruit on Adiposity and Diet Quality in Children: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of the Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants (IDEFICS) Study

“…Given the innate preference of children for sweet [ 37 ], it is conceivable that parents might be inclined to make milk and fruit sweeter by adding variable amount of sugar to these foods to favour their consumption, considered as healthy according to dietary recommendations. Although there is some evidence in favour of the addition of small amounts of sugar to encourage the intake of nutrients-rich foods, such as fruit and milk [ 42 ], our results suggest that leaving to discretionary parenting practices the use (or abuse) of adding sugars to increase the acceptability of such foods may, in the longer run, be counterproductive and result in deviations from the adherence to healthy dietary guidelines, and hence also an increase in adiposity risk.…”

Breastfeeding Duration as a Predictor of Childhood Lifestyle Habits, Overweight and Obesity in Second- And Third-Grade Schoolchildren in Croatia

“…This association can be observed from early childhood and can be explained by the fact that children's food preferences appear to be shaped by exposure to foods and flavors from mother's diet in the pre-and postnatal period 23 via amniotic fluid and breast milk 24 . for this reason, at the time of the introduction of solid foods, breastfed infants will have had more experience with tastes in comparison to their non-breastfed peers, which makes it easier for them to accept newly introduced flavors 25 . Breastfeeding therefore provides a solid foundation for development of healthy eating habits in children.…”

Supplemental Feeding as Preventive Measure for Overweight and Obesity in Children With Regard to the Concept of First 1000 Days

“…Дети охотно воспринимают подслащенную пищу, поскольку врожденное пристрастие к сладкому уси-ливается в процессе постнатального вскармливания и формирования условно-рефлекторных связей между сладковатым вкусом материнского молока, теплом и лаской матери [66]. В неонатологии используют обезболивающий эффект приема ребенком раствора сахарозы [67].…”

“…Обзорные исследования Американской академии педиатрии показали, что почти 60% младенцев при вве- дении прикорма получают продукты и напитки, содержащие добавленные сахара [66]. В американском исследовании NHANES уровень потребления свободного сахара превышал рекомендуемый на 10% от общего потребления даже в течение первого года жизни.…”