The authors of the study explained in their journal news release that ‘free sugars’ are those that manufacturers, consumers and cooks add to food, and are also found in honey, syrup and fruit juices. According to recommendations made by the World Health Organization you should be cutting the intake of these free sugars to less than 10% of total energy.
For the study, the team, led by Jim Mann, of the human nutrition department at the University of Otago, examined 71 studies, including 30 trials where participants were randomly assigned to a sugar intake intervention or no intervention. The results were that cutting back on free sugars for up to eight months was associated with an average weight loss of 1.8 pounds, whereas increasing your free sugar intake almost directly goes in the opposite direction, as it is linked to a weight gain of 1.7 pounds.
The team admitted that there was a limit to the study, as few of the studies they analysed lasted longer than 10 weeks. Also, the effects on children were less clear, but the authors still noted that children with a greater sugar intake were at greater risk for being overweight or obese. They concluded ‘when considering the rapid weight gain that occurs after an increased intake of sugars, it seems reasonable to conclude that advice relating to sugars intake is a relevant component of a strategy to reduce the high risk of overweight and obesity in most countries.’
Experts in the US responded by saying that ‘a high priority’ should be increasing taxes on drinks sweetened with sugar, restricting ads directed towards children and limiting serving sizes. Walter Willett, a professor in the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and a colleague said there is also a need for educational programmes, improvements in menus at schools and worksites, and nutrition programs for people with low incomes, in an editorial accompanying the study.