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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
All Children Should Avoid Consuming Sugary Drinks
Argumentative Essay
Heilyn Yelena Mora Espinoza
Composition III
Universidad Internacional de las Américas
English
San José, Costa Rica
March 2021
[email protected]
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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
Introduction: Have you ever thought what would happen if a kid consumed sugary
drinks more than he should? It favors the appearance of obesity, which in turn is a
serious risk factor for developing diabetes, and cavities dental. The consumption of
sodas, flavored water and artificial juices is related to the risk of obesity, diabetes
and getting dental cavities in children.
Thesis statement: All children should avoid consuming sugary drinks because they cause
obesity, diabetes, and cavities.
Body
I. All children should avoid consuming sugary drinks because they cause
obesity
A. Childhood Obesity
B. Chronic Disease
C. decrease the risk of obesity in children
II. Drinking sugary drinks more than children should, can cause diabetes
A. Disease
B. Types of Diabetes
C. Artificially beverages
D. Sugary Beverages
III. Sugary drinks affect the teeth
A. Acid
B. Damage in teeth
C. Sodas
IV. Solutions
A. Water
B. Water with some fruit
C. Natural Sugar
Conclusion: In conclusion, all children should avoid consuming sugary drinks because they can
be sick soon if they do not avoid the drinks.
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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
Abstract
This paper talks about what sugary drinks cause in children. It mentions three different aspects
such as obesity, diabetes, and cavities. It also gives some possible solutions …
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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
All children should avoid consuming sugary drinks
Have you ever thought what would happen if a kid consumed sugary drinks more
than he should? It favors the appearance of obesity, which in turn is a serious risk factor
for developing diabetes, and cavities dental. The consumption of sodas, flavored water
and artificial juices is related to the risk of obesity, diabetes and getting dental cavities in
children, which is given by the components of these liquids, mostly derived from natural
sugar and sugar from fruits (fructose): high fructose corn syrup, for example. Soft drinks
do not provide quality nutrients but predispose children to diseases due to the high sugar
content. The first mistake is to believe that children need extra sugar. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), a recommended and moderate intake of sugar
should represent the equivalent of 10 percent of the total energy (kilocalories)
consumed. For preschool-age children on a 1,500-calorie diet, it would be 37 grams,
which is equivalent to 7 teaspoons per day. This means that a 600ml bottle of soda
provides almost double what a child should consume throughout the day. All children
should avoid consuming sugary drinks because they cause obesity, diabetes, and
cavities dental, for that reason, it will be given possible solutions to reduce them.
All children should avoid consuming sugary drinks because they cause
obesity. Obesity in children is a concern for many people today. It has been one of the
most serious global public health challenges of the 21st century, according to WHO.
Since It is a chronic disease and is difficult to treat, requiring lifestyle changes for a long
time. There is a measure to know if a child has obesity and that is called "BMI". Obesity
is defined as a kid having a body mass index (BMI) over the 95th percentile on child
growth charts. The measurement considers height, age, and sex. According to the
WHO, children are at higher risk of developing obesity by consuming sugary drinks. The
sugary drinks have too much sugar. One of the beverages that Coca-Cola sells is one of
12oz and that is 355 ml. It contains 39g of sugar and 140 calories. For that reason, the
increased consumption of sugary drinks is associated with childhood obesity. Studies
are finding that children are consuming too much sugar – and sugary drinks are a big
part of the problem. The article of Children’s Health mentions that one report says that
children in the U.S. are consuming 17% of calories from added sugars, and half of those
are from sugary beverages alone. This is clearly a lot of calories to be receiving from
sugary drinks. We should be more restrictive with how much we let kids drink soda and
other unhealthy drinks. Soda has almost no nutritional value and should only be
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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
consumed occasionally. Therefore, reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages would also reduce the risk of childhood overweight and obesity. (WHO,
2019). In conclusion, it is significant that families reduce the consumption the sugary
drinks in their children, otherwise, it can be worse because obesity can be developed in
children, and because of obesity, diabetes can appear.
Drinking sugary drinks more than children should, can cause diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease in which the glucose or blood sugar levels are higher than normal,
is one of the most common lifestyle diseases to affect adults and it has been affecting
kids in the world, as well. (Ranganathan, ND). There are different types of diabetes such
as prediabetes, type I diabetes, and type II diabetes. Prediabetes is like a warning so
that the person knows that they can develop type I or II diabetes. Diabetes type I occurs
because of the pancreas’ inability to produce insulin. (Stuff, 2021) Type II is totally
different from the type I. Type II occurs when the body still can produce insulin, but it is
not enough. People used to know that Type II diabetes occurred just in adults, but now
both Type II and Type I diabetes can occur in childhood and adulthood. Even though
type II diabetes is common in adults, children can also have it, since due to obesity in
children, diabetes has increased in them. Children who consume sugary drinks either 1
or more a day have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who
rarely have such drinks. Harvard University says, “Strong evidence indicates that sugar-
sweetened soft drinks contribute to the development of diabetes.” The ideal is to reduce
the consumption of these drinks because they cannot be replaced by an artificial drink,
for example. “Drinking more artificially sweetened beverages in place of sugary
beverages do not appear to lessen diabetes risk.” (News, 2019). Unfortunately, diabetes
has no cure, but it can be controlled by eating healthy food, avoiding sugary drinks, and
exercising. If the diabetes cannot be control by those habits, then children will need
medicaments as it is insulin. Therefore, it is best to follow the habits mentioned above to
try to avoid diabetes at all costs because as we already know, it is a horrible disease.
Sugary drinks affect the children’s teeth. Many times, people give their children
sugary drinks and do not think about the harm they can cause them. but the reality is
that they have a lot of negative potential in their lives. There is an interesting fact, and it
is that sugar in the mouth becomes acid that lasts about half an hour damaging the teeth
after consumption. In addition, it is not possible to try to substitute drinks for children with
another drink, which has a different type of sugar since according to Doctor Laura
Goodell, who is a pediatric dentist, says “any sugar on your child's teeth from food
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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
and drink will turn into acid and begin attacking their enamel. Over time, that acid eats
away at the protective coating on their teeth and begins to cause cavities” This is when a
serious problem exists, when it comes to cavities. Any type of sweet drink damages
children's teeth. They have too much sugar. Australian Dental Association says, “Sugar
sweetened beverages have high levels of sugar, and drinking these can significantly
contribute to tooth decay.” They are drinks like sodas or fruit juices. Therefore, it is
evident that every sugary drink is harmful to children's teeth, that is why they should
avoid them.
There are some possible solutions that can be used to substitute sugary drinks
for children. Parents can use them to help their kids live healthier lives. As it is
mentioned before, sugary drinks are harmful to children’s lives, so it was fair to comment
on some substitutes for sugary drinks. The water is the mainly one. Drinking more water
instead of drinks that has sugar in it, is the best substitute. The water is good for the
body and has many benefits. It will never be bad to drink it. Parents should give their
children water before breakfast and at every meal. Even when they bring food to their
schools. There is nothing wrong with children bringing water instead of sugary drinks. In
many schools they have banned the consumption of sugary drinks when the dining
rooms gives them food in public schools in Costa Rica since obesity and diabetes has
increased. In addition, Different countries have banned it too, one example of it, is
Jamaica. “Students across Jamaica will be forced to drink healthier beverages at school
starting January 2019 as a result of a ban announced by Minister of Health Dr
Christopher Tufton during his Sectoral Debate presentation in Parliament yesterday.”
(Walker, 2018). It is a clear example that children should drink more water. Another
solution is to drink water and add a piece of fruit such as pineapple or watermelon to the
water. It makes that the water has a bit of flavor and at the same time children are
consuming fruit and that means they are consuming vitamins. So, drinking water will not
be an excuse for kids when they say the water tastes horrible. There is another solution,
and it is related to natural sugar. Sometimes people can say there are busy parents who
barely have time to buy sugary drinks and they cannot prepare natural beverages. There
are no excuses to protect children. Prepare natural juice the day before going to school.
Use natural sugar as it is honey. There is a website called Detox Organics and it has an
article that says, “Fruits and naturally occurring forms of sugar in foods are better for you
than processed sugars because they come packaged with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Fiber slows the absorption of sugars in the blood stream by slowing the breakdown of
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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
the food, so you won’t see a huge spike, and you’ll be getting all the nutrients your body
needs.” So, children can consume natural sugar with moderation. According to American
Diabetes Association “replacing one daily serving of a sugary beverage with water,
coffee, or tea was linked with a 2–10% lower risk of diabetes.” That is the importance of
the water and drinks that have not many calories. Therefore, it is important to find
solutions and apply them for children's health.
In conclusion, what happens when a kid consume sugary drinks more than they
should is that it favors the appearance of obesity, then because of the obesity, it appears
the diabetes and the other factor that can appear when kids consume too many sugary
drinks is cavities. All children should avoid consuming them because they can be sick
soon if they do not avoid them.
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ALL CHILDREN SHOULD AVOID CONSUMING SUGARY DRINKS
References
Goodell, L. (ND, May 02). How Sugary Drinks Affect Teeth. Retrieved from Dental Associates Blog:
https://www.dentalassociates.com/blog/how-sugary-drinks-affect-teeth#:~:text=In%20just
%20that%20short%20amount,and%20begins%20to%20cause%20cavities.
News, I. N. (2019, October 11). Drinking more sugary beverages of any type may increase type 2
diabetes risk. Retrieved from INDIA New England NEWS:
https://indianewengland.com/2019/10/drinking-more-sugary-beverages-of-any-type-may-
increase-type-2-diabetes-risk/
Ranganathan, G. (ND, ND ND). Why Do Children Get Diabetes? Retrieved from ParentCircle:
https://www.parentcircle.com/article/why-do-children-get-diabetes/
Stuff, M. C. (2021, January 20). Type 2 diabetes. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-
20351193#:~:text=Type%202%20diabetes%20is%20an%20impairment%20in%20the,disorders
%20of%20the%20circulatory,%20nervous%20and%20immune%20systems.
Walker, B. (2018, June 5). Sugary drink ban - New policy to be implemented in schools January 2019.
Retrieved from The Gleaner: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20180606/sugary-
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WHO. (2019, February 11). e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions (eLENA). Retrieved from World
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