Sugar Police: Free 'Sugar Smart App' Tells Parents Food, Drink Sugar Content

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Sugar intake is among the things that parents should keep their eyes on their children because too much sugar consumption can lead to several diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancers, health problems and even obesity. With the advancement of technology, there is now a smart app that helps parents determine the amount of sugar in the food or drinks that they are about to purchase.

According to BBC, this "sugar smart app" from Public Health England, works by just scanning barcodes and, in an instant, it will reveal the total sugar in cubes or grams that are present in the product.

With the invention of this smart app, the officials are hopeful that it will help combat tooth decay, obesity and type 2 diabetes by encouraging parents to choose healthier alternatives.

In their Change4Life campaign, it revealed that children aged four to 10 consume an estimated of 5,500 sugar cubes which are more than the weight of an average five-year-old child. Their campaign also featured a short film that warns parents about the dangers of eating and drinking too much sugar including becoming overweight and developing tooth decay.

This app will surely be helpful in promoting health and fitness. Lincolnshire Echo reported that, currently, there are 2.5 million people suffering from Type 2 diabetes and 90 percent of them are overweight or obese.

"The latest child obesity figures for the East Midlands highlight the importance for families to cut back on sugar in the diet. Sugar is lurking in everyday food and drink, taking children well over the maximum recommended amount," said Ann Goodwin, deputy director, health and wellbeing, public health England, East Midlands. "We're encouraging parents across the East Midlands to download the new Sugar Smart app and take control of the amount of sugar their family consumes, to protect them from the health risks of having too much sugar."

"Children are having too much sugar, three times the maximum recommended amount," Dr. Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist for Public Health England, added. "This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, which can also affect children's wellbeing as they are more likely to be bullied, have low self-esteem and miss school."

Tedstone suggested that children under five should not take more than 19 grams of sugar in a day. The app will help parents learn where the sugar in their children's diet is from and inform them on what products to cut down.

Per BBC, the app works on over 75,000 products and offers a quick guide to help parents assess potential purchases that may harm the health of their children.

Check out the app here. What do you think of this new sugar smart app? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.