Children consume too much sugar. The consequences of this are enormous health risks. The Lower Saxony Medical Association is therefore calling for legal restrictions.
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Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, lipid metabolism disorders, tooth decay. The list of diseases in which high sugar consumption plays a decisive role is long. According to a study published at the beginning of September by the Max Rubner Institute (MRI), the Federal Research Institute for Nutrition and Food, children cover a quarter of their daily energy intake through sugar alone.1 However, a maximum of 10 percent is recommended. Dr. med. Marion Charlotte Renneberg, deputy president of the Lower Saxony Medical Association (ÄKN) and general practitioner, is concerned: “The foundation for a healthy life is laid in the first years of life. If children are introduced to an unhealthy diet, it can have lifelong consequences. Because as adults they usually eat the foods they learned about as children.” In order to promote a healthy diet for children, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) announced in its nutrition policy report in June 2024 that advertising aimed at children would be prohibited to limit the consumption of foods that are particularly high in sugar, fat and salt.2 The Lower Saxony Medical Association supports this project. “Children are not able to make conscious purchasing decisions. In this respect, they should be particularly protected and not abused as a target group for unhealthy foods,” demands the general practitioner.
Dr. med. Tilman Kaethner, member of the ÄKN Chamber Assembly and regional chairman of the professional association for pediatricians and adolescent doctors, explains: “Sugary, fat- and salt-rich foods activate our reward center in the brain. That’s why we want more and more of it. Advertising reinforces this effect. This is good for the manufacturers of these foods, but disastrous for children, because their tastes are influenced by ‘sweet, fatty and salty.'” The obvious consequences of unhealthy eating include overweight and obesity. But poor concentration, fatigue and general low physical performance can also lead children’s lives into unfavorable directions in the long term if unhealthy foods make up too much of their diet. According to MRI, the first years of life are particularly important in preventing nutrition-related diseases.
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About the Lower Saxony Medical Association
The Lower Saxony Medical Association is the professional representative of the approximately 46,000 doctors in the state of Lower Saxony. It carries out public tasks in the healthcare system on a self-administrative basis and at the same time carries out state tasks in accordance with instructions. She is also committed to high-quality medical training and continuing education and supervises the training of medical assistants.
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Monika Schröder
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