One of the voices raising alarm is Nigerian health advocate Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor. In a recent post on his social media platform X, the physician urged parents to significantly reduce the amount of sugar in children’s diets, warning that many families may unknowingly be increasing their children’s risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
According to Egemba, the problem often lies in everyday meals and snacks that appear harmless but contain large amounts of added sugar. While many adults are now paying closer attention to their own health—embracing exercise routines and dieting—the same awareness is not always applied to what children consume.
He illustrated this point with a common feeding practice in many households: sweetening children’s meals heavily, particularly breakfast foods such as pap.
“Adults are doing diets and running every morning, but we are packing 10 cubes of sugar into our children’s pap,” he said. “We are inviting type 2 diabetes to a party that hasn’t even started, and we need to have a serious conversation about our children.”
Cultural beliefs and overfeeding
Egemba also highlighted how cultural perceptions about body size influence feeding habits in many families in Nigeria. In some communities, a plump child is often viewed as a symbol of prosperity and good care, while a slimmer child may be wrongly perceived as unhealthy or poorly fed.
Such beliefs, he said, can unintentionally encourage parents to overfeed children or load their meals with extra sugar and high-calorie foods.
“In Nigeria, we have turned a fat child into a sign of wealth, and a slim child into a sign of suffering,” Egemba noted. “But we are making a terrible mistake. We are overfeeding our children out of love.”
Everyday foods contributing to excess sugar
The doctor explained that sugar overload often comes from items routinely packed in school lunchboxes or served at home. Sugary drinks, chocolates, biscuits, and processed snacks—often seen as convenient treats—can significantly increase children’s daily sugar intake.
“You will mix a small bowl of pap with 10 cubes of sugar,” he said. “Or pack sugary drinks, chocolates, and junk inside their school lunchboxes every single day. We are turning their bodies into sugar houses.”
He warned that the negative health effects of excessive sugar intake may not always be immediately visible. A child may appear healthy on the outside while internal systems such as the heart and metabolism are already under strain.
“Inside that child you are proudly calling healthy and chubby, the heart might be struggling, and the blood pressure rising,” Egemba cautioned. “We are punishing a tiny body that is just starting to grow.”
Encouraging healthier habits
To reduce the risks, the physician advised parents to adopt healthier feeding practices. These include drastically cutting down added sugar, practising portion control, and offering natural snacks such as fruits instead of highly processed treats.
He also urged parents to respect children’s natural appetite cues rather than forcing them to eat beyond fullness.
“If your child is full, stop forcing them to eat,” he said. “Reduce the sugar drastically, and give them fruits as snacks instead of biscuits and sweets every day.”
Physical activity, Egemba added, is equally important. Encouraging children to play outdoors and remain active can help prevent sedentary habits linked to excessive screen time.
“Your child needs exercise, too,” he advised. “It is not always ‘go inside and sleep’ or ‘sit down and watch cartoons’. Let them run. Let them play. Let us raise a healthier generation.”
Research links sugar to health risks in young children
Scientific research increasingly supports these concerns. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children under five may develop addictive responses to sugar.
The research examined the eating habits of more than 400 preschool-aged children and found that those who consumed the highest levels of sugar-sweetened beverages were more likely to display addiction-like behaviours, including cravings, anxiety, and difficulty controlling their intake.
The same children were also more likely to experience Dental Caries and higher rates of overweight or obesity.
Researchers concluded that the high sugar content of many beverages, combined with their potential to trigger addictive patterns, represents a growing public health concern for young children.
As awareness around childhood nutrition grows, health advocates say the solution may begin with simple but deliberate choices at home—reducing sugar, encouraging healthier snacks, and allowing children the freedom to play and stay active.