Kids, rejoice! New research shows that a sweet tooth in children may indicate higher growth rates

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I must admit, I'm kind of glad my 4-year-old can't read this article yet.

New research has shown that children who are growing at a fast pace may have a stronger preference for sweets than those who are growing at a slower pace.

Researchers gave 143 children sugar-water and orange Kool-Aid with increasing levels of sweetness. Then they classified the children into two groups: high preference or low preference for sweetness.

They found that children who had the highest levels of a biomarker for bone growth (type I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptides) in their urine were most likely to be in the group that liked the sweetest drinks.

Experts say that children who are growing rapidly are burning more calories and therefore may show a preference for higher-calorie foods, like sweets. However, other experts warn that the study does not show a strong enough relationship to allow for indulgence in sweets, especially given America's growing (pardon the pun) childhood obesity epidemic.

They suggest that parents offer fruit, which has a sugary taste but nutritional benefits, and veggies with dips like teriyaki or fruit-based vinaigrettes for dipping so that children still get healthy food but satisfy their craving for a sweet taste.

You can view the full article here.