April 6, 2023 – A recent compilation of nearly all research so far on the health effects of sugar offers dozens of reasons to limit consumption now.
Researchers from China and the United States have compiled and combined 8,601 scientific studies on sugar to evaluate its impact on 83 health outcomes. The studies cover many years of research on the subject, dating back to the start of the biggest electronic databases of scientific papers.
The result's an inventory that lists essentially the most common health problems worldwide, resembling heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart attacks, high cholesterol, cancer and depression. The Results were published this week within the magazine BMJ. The researchers checked out studies that examined the results of consuming free sugars, that are foods that contain processed or naturally occurring sugars resembling table sugar, honey or maple syrup. Sugars in whole fruit and veggies and in milk aren't free sugars.
The American Dietary Guidelines recommend that not more than 10% of day by day calories come from added sugars. For a typical 2,000-calorie-per-day food regimen, that equates to not more than 200 calories, or about 12 teaspoons. CDC reports that the common person consumes 17 teaspoons per day, with the largest sources being sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts and snacks. (For context, a 12-ounce can of soda comprises the equivalent of 9 teaspoons of sugar, based on the beverage manufacturer. Coke.)
The recent evaluation also found links between sugary beverage consumption and other dietary and lifestyle characteristics that will contribute to health problems.
“People who consumed sugary beverages more frequently were likely to consume more fat and saturated fat, carbohydrates, and sodium, and less fruit, fiber, dairy, and whole grains,” the authors wrote. “This dietary pattern was also associated with more frequent smoking and drinking, lower physical activity, and more time watching television. Therefore, the role of these confounders should be considered in explaining the association between sugar consumption and disease burden.”
There are recommendations worldwide to limit sugar consumption, the authors noted. They concluded that more must be done given the known health risks of sugar.
“To change sugar consumption habits, especially among children and adolescents, a combination of comprehensive public health education and policy action worldwide is urgently needed,” they said.