“If you look at the eating habits of young people, the alarm bells should ring immediately,” said Medical Chamber President Thomas Szekeres at an online press conference of the company Spar. According to a study commissioned by the retail group, only every second child between the ages of three and ten consumes fruit every day. On average, sugar consumption is far too high from an early age. Corona has made the situation worse. During the pandemic, the number of overweight children rose significantly worldwide; in Austria, 27 percent of seven to twelve year olds are currently considered overweight or obese.
Sugar sweet and unhealthy
The reasons for this are obvious: improper diet, too little exercise.
“Sugar in particular plays a decisive role here, because large amounts of calories are easily absorbed and the young consumers get used to a very high level of sweetness,” explains Univ.-Prof. Friedrich Hoppichler, medical director at the hospital of the Barmherzigen Brüder Salzburg and board member of the association for health promotion “Sipcan”.
It is also clear that the course for a healthy life without being overweight is set in childhood. “We now also know the most important phase here: It is the first 1000 days in which eating behavior and taste formation are shaped. And they begin in the womb,” says Univ.-Prof. Karl Zwiauer, member of the nutrition commission of the Austrian Society for Pediatrics. “We know from observational studies that the children of mothers who starved during pregnancy later fell ill more often. Conversely, children whose mothers ate too much during this time increased the risk of obesity.”
Sugar out initiative
In order to counteract the negative trend, the “Sugar Out Initiative” was launched in 2019 on the initiative of Spar, among others, together with the Medical Association. In the meantime, more than 45 supporters have joined this alliance against too much sugar in food production.
“Since the beginning of 2017 we have been able to reduce more than 2000 tons of sugar in our own-brand products alone,” said Spar board member Markus Kaser. The range has now been expanded: the company now has 200 organic items especially for parents and children on offer that do not require any added sugar. (had)
Details about the initiative in the video:
Numbers at a glance
27 percent of the seven to twelve year olds in this country are overweight or obese. For Austrians aged 15 and over, every second person weighs too much.
56 percent of young people in Europe say they do not eat fruit and vegetables every day. On the other hand, almost everyone and every 15-year-old drinks sugary soft drinks every day. “Austria is no exception,” says Austria’s Medical Association President Thomas Szekeres.
91 grams of sugar every Austrian consumes on average per day and this is well above the daily dose of 25 grams recommended by the World Health Organization. Many diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular problems are associated with obesity.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
