The Parenting Weblog

I think I've never met a child who didn't like sweets. My two kids don't really ask for them, probably because in our household, sweets and chips are rare treats. They do not appear regularly on my grocery list, and the only times my kids get their fill of these junk foods are during Easter, Halloween and when they are invited to children parties. But just like most other kids, they'd probably eat chocolates and lollies til kingdom come if I just let them.

So I'm not sure whether I should be concerned when I came across a research study indicating that children's response to intense sweet taste may be related to alcoholism and depression. We all know how adults who suffer depression turn to sweets, basically because it makes one feel good. Well, apparently, the same is true for children. And aside from depression, the study also revealed that a child's sweet tooth may also be linked to a family history of alcoholism.

Liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children having both a positive family history of alcoholism and also reporting depressive symptoms. The most liked level of sweetness for these children was 24 percent sucrose, which is equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the level of sweetness in a typical cola. This was one third more intense than the sweetness level preferred by the other children, which was 18 percent sucrose.

Well, "14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water" sounds really a lot. But I'm finding it difficult to translate to the sweetness levels in common sugary treats. Is that equivalent to the sweetness of maple syrup, perhaps? Or caramel candies? And the burning question: Will a child who displays an extraordinary "liking for intense sweetness" likely to become an alcoholic when he grows older? Unfortunately, the researchers do not have an answer to that yet.

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