Children are consuming double the amount of sugar they should be

CHILDREN are having twice their recommended sugar intake in sweet treats alone, research shows.

At each birthday party the typical youngster has roughly 12 times what they should in a day, the study found.

The average child attends 11 of the celebrations each year, meaning the gettogethers account for more than a third of the sugar they should have annually.

Paul Evans, vice-chairman of the British Obesity Society, said: “This worrying survey shows British children are treating their way to a health timebomb.

“Eating too much sugar is linked to obesity, heart problems, tooth decay and diabetes – and it will cost the NHS millions to treat these diseases in the future.” Under-16s are having 51g of sugar on a typical school day just by getting through extra treats, including three biscuits, three chocolate bars and two cans of pop, according to the survey by Atomik Research for natural sweetener NatVia.

The Government recommends children aged from four to six should have no more

OVERWEIGHT teenagers face a quadrupled risk of pancreatic cancer in later life, scientists found.

And even tipping the scales at the higher end of a “normal” weight range can increase the likelihood of the disease, which kills more than 9,000 people in Britain every year. than 19g of sugar per day. The figure is 24g for seven to 10-year-olds, and 30g for those aged from 11 to 16. A 330ml can of Coca-Cola has about 35g.

Kids munch 1,947g of sugar at Christmas – equivalent to 70 chocolate bars – and 519g at Easter weekend, according to the survey of 2,000 parents of under-16s. The poll marks Sugar Awareness Week.

■ As people get fatter, demand for food will push the planet to its limit by 2050, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology warn. They say the typical adult has become 14% heavier and 1.3% taller in the past 30 years. LOLLY Boy tucks in

Some 10% of sufferers got the disease because they were large as teenagers, Israeli research found.

Dr Zohar Levi, from Tel Aviv University, said: “This study emphasises the need for effective interventions to prevent childhood and adolescent obesity.”