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MANILA, Philippines — The number of people suffering from lifestyle diseases is growing. Perhaps this is because of the kind of lifestyle people now lead, lacking in physical activities due to a shift to online attractions and distractions, loading up on fatty, cholesterol-laden and sugar-rich food in place of natural food.
What’s worse: The wrong choices that adults make are affecting the kids so much so that the quality of their daily nutrition is going down the drain. “Uninformed” parents are starting them wrong early in their precocious lives. In the choice of what milk to build their daily nutrition on, for one, parents do not realize that their chosen brands or formulas contain added sugar.
Added sugar has quietly become part of many Filipino children’s daily diets, and their parents do not even realize it. A 2024 study by UNICEF Philippines and the Consortium for Improving Complementary Foods in Southeast Asia (COMMIT) revealed that over a third of food marketed to young children in the Philippines contain added sugars or sweeteners, making them a hidden yet major source of excess sugars in kids’ diets. The number of overweight Filipino children has also tripled since 2003, which is considered high by global standards.
The Medical City Ortigas pediatrician, Dr. Marthony Basco, commonly known as Dr. Ato Basco, warned that this growing trend is not just about weight.
“A fat child is not a healthy child,” he said, pointing to long-term health risks that can begin early in life when excess sugar becomes routine.
Taking a second look at sugar
Many parents associate sugar with special treats that kids love, such as candies, desserts, or soft drinks. But what most people don’t realize is how sugar is woven into everyday food, sometimes in forms that don’t immediately sound like sugar at all.
Ingredients, such as sucrose, maltodextrin, and high fructose corn syrup, are now commonly added to commercially available food products to improve their taste and palatability. Sadly, this is true even in products positioned as part of a child’s daily nutrition.
This is why experts emphasize reassessing not just how much children eat, but what they consume consistently.
Health risks
Dr. Basco explained that excessive sugar intake during a child’s developmental years can have far-reaching effects. They can lead to lifestyle diseases that are difficult to reverse later on in life.
“Obesity and being overweight are linked to diabetes, hypertension, forms of allergy like asthma, and even to some forms of cancer,” Dr. Basco said.
Beyond long-term disease risks, added sugars can also affect children in more immediate, everyday ways. Dr. Basco pointed out that sugar-laden products may contribute to dental problems, including tooth decay (bulok na ngipin), as well as behavioral effects, such as hyperactivity and difficulty in regulating energy levels. Kids also experience taste preference shifts, learning to favor sweet flavors over healthier food options.
“Malaking portion ng obesity ay may kinalaman sa wrong diet, most specifically, sa milk or gatas,” Dr. Basco added, noting that milk plays a crucial role in shaping children’s nutritional intake.
Milk is widely seen as a foundation of children’s nutrition, which is precisely why experts urge parents to look closely at what goes into it. While milk naturally contains nutrients essential for growth, some products contain added sugars that may quietly increase a child’s daily sugar load.
Nutrition advocates now encourage parents to prioritize traceability and freshness when it comes to choosing milk to feed their kids with. Parents should consider milk options that focus on fresh milk formula, retain their natural quality through a one-step process, and go from cow to can without unnecessary modification. Choosing milk without added sugars such as sucrose or maltodextrin helps preserve the integrity of milk’s natural nutrition while supporting healthier eating habits.
As Dr. Basco pointed out, early exposure matters. Products that are overly sweet can train children to seek sweetness, making balanced meals harder to sustain as they grow because they would always go for the sweeter options..
More mindful approach
Addressing the silent sugar problem does not require eliminating all sweetness from a child’s diet. It just has to start with awareness — parents should make it a habit to read product labels to know what ingredients go into the products they have chosen, understand how sugars are labeled, and recognize that daily staples can contribute significantly to overall intake.
By being mindful of added sugars and choosing food and milk options that prioritize freshness and minimal processing, parents can help protect their children from risks that often develop quietly over time.
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