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Total and Added Sugars: are Restrictive Guidelines Achievable?
Author(s) -
Erickson Jennifer,
Slavin Joanne
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.904.1
Subject(s) - sugar , calorie , added sugar , food science , meal , free sugar , dietary sucrose , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , business , medicine , biology , endocrinology
Sugar consumption, especially added sugars, is under attack. Various government and health authorities have suggested new sugar recommendations and guidelines as low as 5% of total calories from free sugars. Definitions for total sugars, free sugars, and added sugars are not standardized nor are there accepted nutrient databases for this information. Our objective was to measure total sugars and added sugars in sample meal plans created by USDA and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Utilizing the NDSR nutritional database, results found that plans created by the USDA and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics averaged 5.6% and 3.7% calories from added sugar and 23.3% and 21.1% as total sugars respectively. Compliance with proposed added sugar recommendations would require strict dietary compliance and may not be sustainable for many Americans. Without an accepted definition and equation for calculating added sugar, added sugar recommendations are arbitrary and unlikely to improve public health. Added sugar should be consumed at a minimum as it has been correlated with excess calorie intake; however, compliance with low added sugar recommendations may not be achievable for the general public.