WHO recommends cutting sugar intake in half

Well, that’s it, then: the war on sugar has officially begun. The World Health Organization (WHO) has sugar in its sights, recommending that consumers aim to cut their sugar consumption in half.

In 2002, the WHO recommended that sugar make up less than 10% of total daily calories. The proposed guidelines it announced recently reiterate that recommendation but go further to suggest that a daily sugar intake of less than 5% of all calories would provide extra benefits.

“There is increasing concern that consumption of free sugars, particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, may result in both reduced intake of foods containing more nutritionally adequate calories and an increase in total caloric intake, leading to an unhealthy diet, weight gain and increased risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs),” the WHO said in its draft.

The organisation has launched a public consultation on its draft guidelines for sugar, calling for comments to be submitted through its website (www.who.int). Submissions must be accompanied by a declaration of interests. An expert peer review process will be conducted at the same time as the public consultation.

The recommended 5% of total energy intake equates to around 25 grams or 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for an adult with a normal body mass index (BMI).

The suggested limits apply to all monosaccharides (such as glucose and fructose) and disaccharides (such as sucrose or table sugar) that are added to food by manufacturers, cooks or consumers, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates, but not sugars naturally found in fruit.

“Much of the sugars consumed today are ‘hidden’ in processed foods that are not usually seen as sweets. For example, 1 tablespoon of ketchup contains around 4 grams (around 1 teaspoon) of sugars. A single can of sugar-sweetened soda contains up to 40 grams (around 10 teaspoons) of sugar,” the WHO said in a statement.

The WHO says these new guidelines will help to combat obesity and prevent cavities.

To read the draft guideline and submit comments, click here.