In 2003 the World Health Organization stated that ‘added sugars’ should contribute no more than 10% of total energy intake. Today heart specialists argue that it is in desperate need of ‘emergency surgery’.
In 2009 the American Heart Association published a paper suggesting that excessive consumption of sugar is linked to several health problems. It stressed an upper limit of 100 calories a day from added sugar for a woman (six teaspoons) and 150 calories a day for a man (nine teaspoons). The United States Department of Agriculture Food Guide stipulates a maximum of three teaspoons a day for a 4-8 year old child.
Since this research was published, other studies have implicated sugar with increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes, yet the food industry continues to deny sugar’s role as a major causative factor in diet-related disease. Advertising for junk food and sugary drinks is incessant.
Food labels contain information on total sugars per serving, but do not differentiate between sugars naturally present and those that are added. It is therefore almost impossible for consumers to determine the amount of added sugars in foods and beverages.
Says Professor Simon Capewell, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, UK, “The scientific evidence is increasingly clear. Refined sugars added to junk food and sugary drinks represent a major risk to your families’ current and future health. Tobacco has now been successfully controlled by targeting the ‘3As’: Affordability, Acceptability and Accessibility. Surely our kids deserve a similar level of protection from refined sugars?”
Professor Tim Noakes, Director at the Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town adds, “Sugary sports drinks are promoted as essential for athletic performance, but are used predominantly by those without real athletic aspirations. Users need to understand that exercise may not protect them from the negative consequences of an excessive sugar intake.”
Until food labels make it easier to tell between how much sugar is naturally present in a drink, look for brands that proudly state ‘no added sugar’.
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