Breakfast cereals for children, analysis casts doubts on nutritional value

The nutritional value of cereals for breakfast intended for the little ones, is put in doubt from an analysis of 1200 products launched on the market by 2010 to 2023 which revealed increased fat, sodium and sugars, as well as a decrease in proteins and fibers. Published on Jama Network Open, the analysis was directed by Shuoli Zhao of the University of Kentucky. Cereals for Children contain high levels of added sugars, with a single portion that exceeds 45% of the recommended daily limit from the American Heart Association for children. To understand trends in the composition of cereals researchers analyzed 1200 breakfast cereals for children. It has emerged that for many products the change is was the packaging, while the new nutritional formulations were the least frequent. However, it was seen that on average Total fat content per serving increased by 33.6%, going from 1.13 grams in 2010 to 1.51 in 2023. The sodium content showed a 32.1% increase during the study period (from 156 milligrams to 206.1). Carbohydrates totals showed a relatively stable trend going from 27.32 grams to 28.45 in 2023. The content of sugars increased by 10.9%, from 10.28 grams in 2010 to 11.4. On the other hand, the protein content, although it fluctuated between 2010 and 2020 with an average of 1.97 grams, decreased significantly significant to reach 1.69 in 2023. The content of dietary fiber (part of a healthy diet) has shown a stable trend until 2021, followed by a decrease: it is went from 3.82 grams in 2021 to 2.94 in 2023. In summary, the sodium and fat content showed the greatest increases marked during the period, while the average content of carbohydrates went from 26.44 grams in the period 2010-2019 to 32.64 g in the period 2020-2023. In comparison, proteins and fibers, two important nutritional components for infant nutrition, have decreased over time. The analysis suggests a potential tendency for producers to prioritize taste over nutritional quality in product development, contributing to childhood obesity and long-term risks to cardiovascular health, such as the authors write.