Your Parenting Mojo - Respectful, research-based parenting ideas to help kids thrive 145: How to Sugarproof your kids with Dr. Michael Goran
Oct 3, 2021
52:47
Sugar has a bad name these days - much like fat did back in the 1990s. "Research shows" that it's addictive...that it shrinks your brain...that it's likely to lead to all kinds of health problems.
But will it really?
I interviewed Dr. Michael Goran, author of the recent book Sugarproof: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar that are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do. This is a pretty alarming title, and I was interested to dig into the research behind the book as a continuation of our exploration of topics related to parenting and food. It turns out that yes, there’s a lot of research on this topic. And a lot of it supports the idea that sugar may be harmful to children...but the case wasn't nearly as clear-cut as I'd imagined it would be.
In this episode we discuss the research on which the book is based, and what practical steps parents can take to reduce their child's sugar intake if they decide they want to do that.
Cohen, J.F.W., Rifas-Shiman, S.L., Young, J., & Oken, E. (2018). Associations of prenatal and child sugar intake with child cognition. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 54(6), 727-735.
Davis, J.N., Whaley, S.E., & Goran, M.I. (2012). Effects of breastfeeding and low sugar-sweetened beverage intake on obesity prevalence in Hispanic toddlers. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 95(1), 3-8.
DeBoer, M.D., Scharf, R.J., & Demmer, R.T. (2013). Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in 2- to 5-year-old children. Pediatrics 132(3), 413-420.
Francis, H.M., & Stevenson, R.J. (2011). Higher reported saturated fat and refined sugar intake is associated with reduced hippocampal-dependent memory and sensitivity to interoceptive signals. Behavioral Neuroscience 125(6), 943-955.
Goldman, J.A., Lerman, R.H., Contois, J.H., & Utall, J.N. (1986). Behavioral effects of sucrose on preschool children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 14(4), 565-577.
Grossman, A., & Grossman, E. (2017). Blood pressure control in type 2 diabetic patients. Cardiovascular Diabetology 16, article 3.
Jensen, T., Abdelmalek, M.F., Sullivan, S., Lanaspa, M.A., Diehl, A.M., & Johnson, R.J. (2018). Fructose and sugar: A major mediator of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Journal of Hepatology 68(5), 1063-1075.
Jung, S.W., Kim, S-M., Kim, Y.G., Lee, S-H., & Moon, J-Y. (2020). Uric acid and inflammation in kidney disease. American Journal of Physiology – Renal Physiology 318(6), F1327-F1340.
Lago, R.M. (2007), Singh, P.P., & Nesto, R.W. (3007). Diabetes and hypertension. Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism 3, 667.
Luo, S., Monterosso, J.R., Sarpelleh, K., & Page, K.A. (2015). Differential effects of fructose versus glucose on brain and appetite responses to food cues and decisions for food rewards. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(20), 6509-6514.
Noble, E.E., Hsu, T.M., Liang, J., & Kanoski, S.E. (2019). Early life sugar consumption has long-term negative effects on memory function in male rats. Nutritional Neuroscience 22(4), 273-283.
O’Reilly, G.A., Belcher, B.R., Davis, J.N., Martinez, L.T., Huh, J., Antunez-Castillo, L., Weigensberg, M., Goran, M.I., & Spruijt-Metz, D. (2015). Effects of high-sugar and high-fiber meals on physical activity behaviors in Latino and African American Adolescents. Obesity 23(9), 1886-1894.
O’Reilly, G.A., Huh, J., Schembre, S.M., Tate, E.B., Pentz, M.A., & Dunton, F. (2015). Association of usual self-reported intake with ecological momentary measures of affective and physical feeling states in children. Appetite 92(1), 314-321.
Pan, L., Li, R., Park, S., Galuska, D.A., Sherry, B., & Freedman, D.S. (2014). A longitudinal analysis of sugar-sweetened beverage intake in infancy and obesity at 6 years. Pediatrics 134(Suppl 1), S29-S35.
Pase, M.P., Himali, J.J., Jacques, P.F., DeCarli, C., Satizabal, C.L., Aparicio, H., Vasan, R.S., Beiser, A.S., & Seshadri, S. (2017). Sugary beverage intake and preclinical Alzheimer’s disease in the community. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 13(3), 955-964.
Pase, M.P., Himali, J.J., Beiser, A.S., Aparicio, H.J., Satizabal, C.L., Vasan, R.S., Seshadri, S., & Jacqques, P.F. (2017). Sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages and the risks of incident stroke and dementia: A prospective cohort study. Stroke 48(5), 1139-1146.
Philpott, T. (2016, March 16). We don’t mean to ruin smoothies, but…. Mother Jones. Retrieved from: https://www.motherjones.com/food/2016/03/are-smoothies-devil/
Rodríguez-Artalejo F, García EL, Gorgojo L, et al. Investigators of the Four Provinces Study . Consumption of bakery products, sweetened soft drinks and yogurt among children aged 6-7 years: association with nutrient intake and overall diet quality. British Journal of Nutrition 89(3), 419-429.
Sullivan, S.A., & Birch, L.L. (1990). Pass the sugar, pass the salt: Experience dictates preference. Developmental Psychology 26(4), 546-551.
Watson, E.J., Coates, A.M., Banks, S., & Kohler, M. (2017). Total dietary sugar consumption does not influence sleep or behavior in Australian children. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 69(4), 503-512.
Welsh, J.A., Sharma, A.J., Grellinger, L., & Vos, M.B. (2011). Consumption of added sugars is decreasing in the United States. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 94(3), 726-734.
Wolraich, ML, Wilson, DB, and White, JW. “The effect of sugar on behavior or cognition in children. A meta-analysis”. JAMA, 1995. 274(20): p. 1617-21.
World Health Organization (2015). Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. Author; Geneva.
Dr. Michael Goran's Book
Sugarproof: Protect Your Family from the Hidden Dangers of Excess Sugar with Simple Everyday Fixes (Affiliate link).
Jump to highlights 01:01 Introduction of episode 03:50 Children's preference for sugary foods 08:27 How does fructose differ from glucose and other forms of sugar that humans ingest and where can we find it 12:46 What is the effect of fructose on our body 16:04 Why Dr. Goran would recommend dried fruit as a sweetener when we see fructose should be less consumed off 18:19 How children respond acutely to different types of meals 21:53 Where can we truly understand children's behavior after they've consumed sugar and low-calorie sweeteners and no sweetener at all 38:20 A Big source of added sugar is in liquid form 39:52 Dr. Goran's breakfast experiment 43:12 Why does Dr. Goran recommend less intake of carbohydrates 46:31 Overall message to parents about the episode References: Bayol, S.A., Farrington, S.J., & Stickland, N.C. (2007). A maternal ‘junk food’ diet in pregnancy and lactation promotes an exacerbated taste for ‘junk food’ and a greater propensity for obesity in rat offspring. British Journal of Nutrition 98, 843-851.Cohen, J.F.W., Rifas-Shiman, S.L., Young, J., & Oken, E. (2018). Associations of prenatal and child sugar intake with child cognition. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 54(6), 727-735.
Davis, J.N., Whaley, S.E., & Goran, M.I. (2012). Effects of breastfeeding and low sugar-sweetened beverage intake on obesity prevalence in Hispanic toddlers. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 95(1), 3-8.
DeBoer, M.D., Scharf, R.J., & Demmer, R.T. (2013). Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in 2- to 5-year-old children. Pediatrics 132(3), 413-420.
Francis, H.M., & Stevenson, R.J. (2011). Higher reported saturated fat and refined sugar intake is associated with reduced hippocampal-dependent memory and sensitivity to interoceptive signals. Behavioral Neuroscience 125(6), 943-955.
Goldman, J.A., Lerman, R.H., Contois, J.H., & Utall, J.N. (1986). Behavioral effects of sucrose on preschool children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 14(4), 565-577.
Grossman, A., & Grossman, E. (2017). Blood pressure control in type 2 diabetic patients. Cardiovascular Diabetology 16, article 3.
Jensen, T., Abdelmalek, M.F., Sullivan, S., Lanaspa, M.A., Diehl, A.M., & Johnson, R.J. (2018). Fructose and sugar: A major mediator of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Journal of Hepatology 68(5), 1063-1075.
Jung, S.W., Kim, S-M., Kim, Y.G., Lee, S-H., & Moon, J-Y. (2020). Uric acid and inflammation in kidney disease. American Journal of Physiology – Renal Physiology 318(6), F1327-F1340.
Lago, R.M. (2007), Singh, P.P., & Nesto, R.W. (3007). Diabetes and hypertension. Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism 3, 667.
Luo, S., Monterosso, J.R., Sarpelleh, K., & Page, K.A. (2015). Differential effects of fructose versus glucose on brain and appetite responses to food cues and decisions for food rewards. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(20), 6509-6514.
Noble, E.E., Hsu, T.M., Liang, J., & Kanoski, S.E. (2019). Early life sugar consumption has long-term negative effects on memory function in male rats. Nutritional Neuroscience 22(4), 273-283.
O’Reilly, G.A., Belcher, B.R., Davis, J.N., Martinez, L.T., Huh, J., Antunez-Castillo, L., Weigensberg, M., Goran, M.I., & Spruijt-Metz, D. (2015). Effects of high-sugar and high-fiber meals on physical activity behaviors in Latino and African American Adolescents. Obesity 23(9), 1886-1894.
O’Reilly, G.A., Huh, J., Schembre, S.M., Tate, E.B., Pentz, M.A., & Dunton, F. (2015). Association of usual self-reported intake with ecological momentary measures of affective and physical feeling states in children. Appetite 92(1), 314-321.
Pan, L., Li, R., Park, S., Galuska, D.A., Sherry, B., & Freedman, D.S. (2014). A longitudinal analysis of sugar-sweetened beverage intake in infancy and obesity at 6 years. Pediatrics 134(Suppl 1), S29-S35.
Pase, M.P., Himali, J.J., Jacques, P.F., DeCarli, C., Satizabal, C.L., Aparicio, H., Vasan, R.S., Beiser, A.S., & Seshadri, S. (2017). Sugary beverage intake and preclinical Alzheimer’s disease in the community. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 13(3), 955-964.
Pase, M.P., Himali, J.J., Beiser, A.S., Aparicio, H.J., Satizabal, C.L., Vasan, R.S., Seshadri, S., & Jacqques, P.F. (2017). Sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages and the risks of incident stroke and dementia: A prospective cohort study. Stroke 48(5), 1139-1146.
Philpott, T. (2016, March 16). We don’t mean to ruin smoothies, but…. Mother Jones. Retrieved from: https://www.motherjones.com/food/2016/03/are-smoothies-devil/
Rodríguez-Artalejo F, García EL, Gorgojo L, et al. Investigators of the Four Provinces Study . Consumption of bakery products, sweetened soft drinks and yogurt among children aged 6-7 years: association with nutrient intake and overall diet quality. British Journal of Nutrition 89(3), 419-429.
Sullivan, S.A., & Birch, L.L. (1990). Pass the sugar, pass the salt: Experience dictates preference. Developmental Psychology 26(4), 546-551.
Watson, E.J., Coates, A.M., Banks, S., & Kohler, M. (2017). Total dietary sugar consumption does not influence sleep or behavior in Australian children. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 69(4), 503-512.
Welsh, J.A., Sharma, A.J., Grellinger, L., & Vos, M.B. (2011). Consumption of added sugars is decreasing in the United States. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 94(3), 726-734.
Wolraich, ML, Wilson, DB, and White, JW. “The effect of sugar on behavior or cognition in children. A meta-analysis”. JAMA, 1995. 274(20): p. 1617-21.
World Health Organization (2015). Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. Author; Geneva.