Candy consumption patterns, effects on health, and behavioral strategies to promote moderation: summary report of a roundtable discussion
- PMID: 25593156
- PMCID: PMC4288276
- DOI: 10.3945/an.114.007302
Candy consumption patterns, effects on health, and behavioral strategies to promote moderation: summary report of a roundtable discussion
Abstract
Nearly all Americans (97%) report eating candy at least once per year; yet, on a given day, only approximately one-fourth of the US population aged ≥2 y consumes candy. Among all Americans, candy contributes a relatively small proportion of calories, added sugars, and saturated fat to the total diet, and recent research suggests that current levels of candy consumption are not associated with risk of weight gain and cardiovascular disease in children and adults. Providing guidance for the consumption of candy in moderation requires an understanding of various behavioral health-related factors that influence candy consumption. A roundtable of behavioral nutrition experts, researchers, and nutrition educators met to discuss recent data on intakes of candy, health outcomes associated with usual candy intake, and the impact of behavioral strategies, including restriction, education, and environmental awareness, on modifying eating behaviors to achieve moderate intakes of candy. Restricting access to palatable foods, whether self-imposed or by parental control, may have potentially negative consequences. Techniques and insight into how to adopt "moderation" in candy consumption, from effective parental practices to environmental strategies that facilitate behavior change without a high degree of effort, were identified as important next steps toward sustainable dietary guidance related to the role of candy and other treats in a healthy lifestyle.
Keywords: behavioral nutrition; candy; chocolate; confections; moderation; restriction.
© 2015 American Society for Nutrition.
Similar articles
-
Body weight status and cardiovascular risk factors in adults by frequency of candy consumption.Nutr J. 2013 Apr 30;12:53. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-12-53. Nutr J. 2013. PMID: 23631725 Free PMC article.
-
Association of candy consumption with body weight measures, other health risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and diet quality in US children and adolescents: NHANES 1999-2004.Food Nutr Res. 2011;55. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v55i0.5794. Epub 2011 Jun 14. Food Nutr Res. 2011. PMID: 21691462 Free PMC article.
-
The effect of an intervention on schoolchildren's susceptibility to a peer's candy intake.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Aug;67(8):829-35. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.122. Epub 2013 Jul 10. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013. PMID: 23839667 Clinical Trial.
-
Family environmental factors influencing the developing behavioral controls of food intake and childhood overweight.Pediatr Clin North Am. 2001 Aug;48(4):893-907. doi: 10.1016/s0031-3955(05)70347-3. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2001. PMID: 11494642 Review.
-
A review of sugar consumption from nationally representative dietary surveys across the world.J Hum Nutr Diet. 2016 Apr;29(2):225-40. doi: 10.1111/jhn.12338. Epub 2015 Oct 10. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2016. PMID: 26453428 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Sorry Parents, Children Consume High Amounts of Candy before and after a Meal: Within-Person Comparisons of Children's Candy Intake and Associations with Temperament and Appetite.Children (Basel). 2022 Dec 26;10(1):52. doi: 10.3390/children10010052. Children (Basel). 2022. PMID: 36670603 Free PMC article.
-
A Qualitative Evaluation of Social Aspects of Sugar-Rich Food and Drink Intake and Parental Strategies for Reductions.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 15;19(18):11647. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191811647. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022. PMID: 36141910 Free PMC article.
-
Teaching families to manage intake of candy in the home: Results from a feasibility study using multiphase optimization strategy (MOST).Obes Sci Pract. 2020 Aug 9;6(6):649-659. doi: 10.1002/osp4.446. eCollection 2020 Dec. Obes Sci Pract. 2020. PMID: 33354343 Free PMC article.
-
Parents' and Children's Categorization of Candy are Similar: A Card Sort Protocol.Nutrients. 2019 Oct 15;11(10):2472. doi: 10.3390/nu11102472. Nutrients. 2019. PMID: 31618935 Free PMC article.
-
Chocolate and risk of chronic disease: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.Eur J Nutr. 2020 Feb;59(1):389-397. doi: 10.1007/s00394-019-01914-9. Epub 2019 Feb 25. Eur J Nutr. 2020. PMID: 30805697 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Hornick B, Duyff RL, Murphy MM, Shumow L. Proposing a definition of candy in moderation: for health and well-being. Nutr Today 2014;49:87–94.
-
- Kuijer RG, Boyce JA. Chocolate cake: guilt or celebration? Associations with healthy eating attitudes, perceived behavioural control, intentions and weight-loss. Appetite 2014;74:48–54. - PubMed
-
- Piehowski KE, Preston AG, Miller DL, Nickols-Richardson SM. A reduced-calorie dietary pattern including a daily sweet snack promotes body weight reduction and body composition improvements in premenopausal women who are overweight and obese: a pilot study. J Am Diet Assoc 2011;111:1198–203. - PMC - PubMed
-
- Myrseth KO, Fishbach A, Trope Y. Counteractive self-control. Psychol Sci 2009;20:159–63. - PubMed
-
- Polivy J, Coleman J, Herman CP. The effect of deprivation on food cravings and eating behavior in restrained and unrestrained eaters. Int J Eat Disord 2005;38:301–9. - PubMed
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous