The Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE, has asked affiliated schools to set up special display boards to raise awareness about high sugar consumption among students. The move follows a sharp increase in Type 2 diabetes among children in recent years.

According to the education board, the rise in sugar-related health issues could be due to easy access to sugary snacks, drinks, and packaged foods inside school premises. The CBSE has stated that apart from diabetes, children are also facing obesity, dental issues, and other health problems. These can also affect their academic performance and overall health and well-being. The data, which the board has compiled according to the age group, has revealed that children consume three times the suggested sugar limit of 5 per cent. Those between the ages of 4 and 10 years get around 13 per cent of their daily calories from sugar, and those aged 11 to 18 years get around 15 per cent.

According to the CBSE guidelines, a sugar board should contain key information and facts like the daily sugar limit, levels of sugar in food items like junk food and soft drinks, and the health issues that are linked to consuming excessive sugar.

According to doctors, the children who consume sugar experience an initial burst of energy, but the long-term effects can be harrowing. Apart from weight gain, excessive sugar also causes issues with brain development, interfering with its ability to function properly.

While glucose energises the brain, excessive sugar can put it into an overdrive mode, making the child hyperactive and impulsive. In the long run, it also leads to difficulty in focusing and controlling impulses. Even though these behavioural changes can be short-term, experts believe brain hyperactivity in childhood can cause cognitive defects as well.

Sugar can lead to addiction as it stimulates neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in your brain’s reward system, leading to high emotions like pleasure, which reinforces the child to consume more sugar.

Excessive sugar intake also overactivates hormone imbalance, which exaggerates children’s emotions like anxiety, fear, and irritation.

If your child is addicted to sugar, it leads to a massive spike in blood sugar levels, causing their eyes to swell and weakening them permanently.

According to the American Heart Association, you can promote your kid’s brain development and function by ensuring they consume sugar in the dosage recommended by experts. Kids aged between 2 and 18 years can consume no more than 25 grams or six tablespoons of added sugar daily.

In addition, it is also advisable to avoid added sugars altogether.