Subtract added sugar from your kids diet, guidelines say

Jonell Poe did not let her daughter Brianna drink soda or other sugary drinks when she was young.

But Poe knows when she went to school or other activities, she drank them.

"When they get into their teenage years and are exposed to other areas where they have free choice, they can choose those things," Poe said.

Now 29, Brianna is battling Type 2 diabetes. Jonell says it's because of sugary beverages.

In a new set of recommendations, the American Heart Association is urging parents to limit added sugar in their children's diets.

The guidelines, published in the association's journal "Circulation," say children and teens should consume less than six teaspoons of added sugar a day.

They also recommend limiting sugary drinks for children to just eight ounces per week.

Added sugar includes table sugar, fructose and honey.

Health advocates at the Center for Science in the Public Interest cheered the news.

"Sugary drinks have no place in kids' diets," said dietician Lindsay Moyer. "One in three kids are overweight or obese and sugary drinks raise the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes."

The new guidelines also suggest kids under the age of two should not have any added sugars to prevent them from developing a preference for sweet foods.

Cox Media Group