Obesity in children
Janet Ogundepo
Following a recent study by Public Eye, a Swiss non-governmental research and advocacy group into the alarming levels of sugar found in Cerelac baby cereals infant formulas, a paediatric surgeon, Professor Aminu Mohammad, has cautioned against the potential risks of obesity and diabetes for infants who consume these products excessively.
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, he noted that while undernutrition remains a significant issue in Nigeria, infants who consume these products without supplementing with other nutritious and local diets risk facing an elevated health risk if the non-communicable diseases
The Global Nutrition report shows that Nigeria is yet to meet its nutrition target, noting that 31.5 per cent of children under the age of five are stunted, and the prevalence of overweight under-five children is 1.6 per cent.
According to the study, Cerelac baby cereal in Nigeria contains an alarming 6.8 grams of added sugar, ranking Nigeria as the second-highest country in terms of sugar content in the products.
Although the study focused on only one product, it underscores a broader issue of excessive sugar consumption in baby foods across various countries.
Samples from Asia, Africa, and Latin America were analysed in a Belgian laboratory, revealing significant variations in sugar levels among the tested products.
Cerelac, manufactured by Nestle, is a popular infant milk cereal for babies over six months and is meant for complementary feeding.
Earlier, PUNCH Healthwise had reported the findings of a non-profit organisation, Access to Nutrition Initiative that over 200 branded foods for babies and toddlers in the United Kingdom failed to meet the World Health Organisation’s nutrition and marketing standards.
The report highlighted that two-thirds of the products intended for toddlers contained excessive sugar, salt, or calories.
The WHO warns against adding sugar to baby foods, stressing that sugars should contribute less than 10 per cent of total energy intake for children.
Public Eye quoted the Director of the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Francesco Branca as saying, “This study stresses the need for urgent action to reshape the food environment for children. Eliminating added sugars from food products for young children would be an important way to implement early prevention of obesity.”
Unarguably, the implication of added sugars to baby foods is the increased risk of obesity.
Moreover, the Public Eye report noted, “For 67 of these products, we were able to determine the amount of added sugar. On average, our analysis found almost four grams per serving or about one sugar cube. The highest amount – 7.3 grams per serving – was detected in a product sold in the Philippines and targeted at six-month-old babies.”
However, the study noted that the quantity of added sugar in the Nido powdered milk sold to Nigerian children above one year was 0.6kg.
Commenting on the issue, Mohammad, who is also the President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, cautioned that overnutrition, fuelled by excessive sugar consumption can lead to obesity and diabetes, among other diseases.
He noted that while obesity-related diseases are a concern, Nigeria’s primary challenge remains malnutrition rather than overnutrition.
The don further noted that since only a few Nigerians would be able to afford such baby foods, obesity due to the consumption of the products might not be widespread.
The paediatric surgeon, however, warned that children consuming such products without the addition of other proteins and local diets have an increased risk of obesity.
He stressed that excessive sugar intake, beyond recommended levels, can lead to obesity and related complications, including diabetes and early-onset arthritis.
Mohammad acknowledged that children require higher glucose levels than adults for growth and development, warning against exceeding recommended sugar intake, as excess sugar is converted into fat, affecting overall health and hindering proper growth.
“Children that are taking far higher than the recommended rate of the daily allowance of sugar are the clients that are likely to develop these problems. Depending on the level of the excess sugar, if it is just slightly higher than the recommended rate, the body can handle it but if it is twice or thrice the daily recommended rate, the clients are likely to suffer from it.
“Children who are consuming it and are not consuming other proteins and local diet are people likely to develop obesity. One of the problems of obesity is that exercise in such patients is less and they have a higher prevalence of diabetes. If their weight is much higher, those with a body mass index of 33 and above will discover that it affects their bone and some of them might end up with early-onset arthritis,” Mohammad said.
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