World Health Org: New Sugar Limit

[bolt.]

The World Heath Org has a past recommendation that sugar should be limited to 10% of one's dietary calories. The new recommendation is 5%.

 

For adults, that approximates out to 6 tsp per day, down from 12 tsp per day.

 

This refers specifically the kinds of sugars which are "added" not the ones that naturally occur within foods. Also honey and fruit-sugar-in-juice-form (apart from the fruit) are included in the limit.

 

So, to me this seems odd.

 

Why are the sugars different? Why divide them at exactly that point? And, if so, where do whole-fruit purées and dry fruits fit in? (Plus I've accepted the idea that 'simple carbs' are pretty much digested like sugars -- not any more?)

 

And if the sugars are different, or if the limit at this point is most appropreate for other reasons, don't we need actual labelling that distinguishes the two types? (Strawberry cream cheese has various sugar: lactose from milk ingredients, fruit sugar from strawberries, plus, possibly added sugar -- but we don't know how much of each.)

 

Are there really people who regularly consume more that 12 tsp of added sugar on a daily basis? 6 tsp might be a bit tight, but I think it's only a bit less than normal for most "healthy" people / parents in my circles. "Treats" would put the occasional day well over the top, but as an everyday lifestyle -- do I just know particularly healthy people? Are they putting up a front and enjoying copious jelly beans on the sly? Or am I one of those people that doesn't "get" the amount sugar added to everyday products?

 

Link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140305-709277.html

[regentrude]

Are there really people who regularly consume more that 12 tsp of added sugar on a daily basis?

 

You bet. Many, many people.

6 Tsp is about 25 grams.

 

A single 12 oz can of coke contains 39 grams of added sugar.

[mommymilkies]

There are better sources, but I just got up.  So here are a few sources: 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/29/fruit-sugar-versus-white-sugar_n_3497795.html

http://www.fitsugar.com/What-Difference-Between-Natural-Added-Sugar-30778049

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/high-fructose-corn-syrup-vs-sugar/2013/06/18/fdbedb90-c488-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/

 

FWIW, most people I know get well over that amount.  Cereal, pop, candy, desserts, pastries for breakfast, fruit "snacks", etc.  I'm guilty of this, as well, but trying to manage it because of my hypoglycemia.  

[bolt.]

I know that 6 tsp would be easy to exceed -- but even with a can of coke daily, it shouldn't be too hard to stay under 12 tsp (60g) and work towards 6 tsp. 40 for your coke still leaves 20 for other sources, right?

 

The media seems to think this is a very restrictive thing -- when its just "12 tsp are OK, but 6 tsp would be ideal."

 

I think all those "people consume x pounds of sugar per month" statistics are probably regarding all sugars (including fruit, milk and other intrinsic sources that the WHO isn't recommending a limit on.)

[LucyStoner]

I think all those "people consume x pounds of sugar per month" statistics are probably regarding all sugars (including fruit, milk and other intrinsic sources that the WHO isn't recommending a limit on.)

The stats along those lines I have seen are generally for added sugar and not lactose in milk or fructose in whole fruit. I am in my phone so I will have to come back and link.

 

Generally people who drink a coke day in and day out are not consuming 8-12 ounces. One or even two large 20-32 ounce cups or those 20 ounce bottles are more common. Most fast food places' small drink is 16 ounces.

[bolt.]

Really? Every day? I mean, yeah, people indulge. Me too, of course. I love a large iced tea from McD's during "dollar drink days" -- I must be out if touch with how often people indulge. (I might even be out of touch with how often *I* indulge. Hmmm.)

[mommymilkies]

Really? Every day? I mean, yeah, people indulge. Me too, of course. I love a large iced tea from McD's during "dollar drink days" -- I must be out if touch with how often people indulge. (I might even be out of touch with how often *I* indulge. Hmmm.)

I know more people who drink more than a 2 liter of pop a day than I know people who drink it in moderation.  My dh used to drink 4-5 cans of root beer a day until I talked him into drinking tea or coffee instead.  And he was an under-achiever for many people we know.  

[regentrude]

Really? Every day? I mean, yeah, people indulge. Me too, of course. I love a large iced tea from McD's during "dollar drink days" -- I must be out if touch with how often people indulge. (I might even be out of touch with how often *I* indulge. Hmmm.)

 

Per capita soda consumption of Americans is 165 liters per year. A liter is roughly a quart or 4 cups or 32 fl oz.

[maize]

Per capita soda consumption of Americans is 165 liters per year. A liter is roughly a quart or 4 cups or 32 fl oz.

That is scary.

 

I habitually avoid sugary drinks, I do not find them to be thirst question and if I want something sweet I much prefer it in solid form :)

[Pawz4me]

Most fast food places' small drink is 16 ounces.

 

I think the cup size is 16 oz.  Most fast food places fill it more than halfway with ice.

[Joyofsixreboot]

A family I know, bright, healthy, well educated has a typical day something like this

Bfst-pop tarts

Lunch-chocolate milk, cookies for dessert

Snack-fruit snacks

Dinner-more cookies

Snack-ice cream

 

I think they are typical. That doesn't count the sugar added to ketchup, bread and buns, crackers, on fruit, etc.

[LucyStoner]

Really? Every day? I mean, yeah, people indulge. Me too, of course. I love a large iced tea from McD's during "dollar drink days" -- I must be out if touch with how often people indulge. (I might even be out of touch with how often *I* indulge. Hmmm.)

Really. 

 

A lot more people than you might assume have soda each and everyday, more than 12 ounces.

 

Also, around here $1 drink day is now EVERY SINGLE DAY at McDs.  It's a very effective draw to get people to come and buy more food.  The sugar increases their appetite after all. 

 

I think the cup size is 16 oz.  Most fast food places fill it more than halfway with ice.

 

Yet, the larger sizes are more popular.  Even with lots of ice, that 32 ounce cup (and in some cases even larger!) is packing an INSANE amount of pure sugar (to say nothing of the acidity).  And those 16, 18 and 20 ounce bottles have no ice and are extremely fast sellers at stores, sandwich shops, gas stations etc. At McDonald's the 16 ounce size is served with the big kid happy meals. 

 

I used to be a total coke addict.  Multiple jobs, large class loads.  Even though I'd never had it as a child except at picnics, even though I was pretty fitness inclined etc, in college it because my go-to for a perfect mix of sugar and caffeine to keep me going.  12 ounces was just getting warmed up.  I went off of it around the time I got married and then sometime after the birth of my son, I reached for it again.  My pattern was usually 1-2 during the work day and then perhaps 2 more at night.  Usually a 20 ounce size with lots of ice from the gas station adjacent to my office.  And my coke intake was hardly spectacularly large compared to some.  Yet, when I dropped it the loss of the caffeine and sugar gave me massive withdrawals to the point of palpitations and anxiety attacks.  I had had a long string of recurrent miscarriages and read a study that excessive caffeine consumption increased the risk of early miscarriages so I was dead set to just stop.  Several months later without TTC, I got pregnant and that baby stuck and is now a 5 year old.  Every so often I fall off the wagon, but more often than not I steer clear.  It's toxic stuff and people way underestimate the impact of it on their health (kidneys, weight, teeth). 

 

[Anne in CA]

Another thing to consider is that in countries where sugar is inexpensive body fuel people drink more of it. Like in Nepal or India where people drink chai style tea all day long and they put HUGE amounts of raw sugar in every cup. Those people walk everywhere and use the energy. It still can't be good for them though, but I know that a lot of those people probably exceed 12 tsp in a day easy. They are rail thin from all the walking they do, but they consume a lot of sugar.

[marbel]

I know more people who drink more than a 2 liter of pop a day than I know people who drink it in moderation.  My dh used to drink 4-5 cans of root beer a day until I talked him into drinking tea or coffee instead.  And he was an under-achiever for many people we know.  

 

Last year I was part of a weight-loss class that included a chat board for asking questions, giving encouragement etc.  Every day there were people talking about how hard it was to give up their 6-pack of coke (or whatever soda) each day.    6-12 oz cans of soda a day. And of course that wasn't the only sugar they consumed.  It can be hard to fathom for people who don't consume sweet drinks. 

 

Funny, those people were always so amazed at how quickly the weight came off when they stopped drinking all that pop!  It seemed like "duh" to me.  Obviously I had my own problems or I wouldn't have been in the class but sweet drinks has never been one of them.

[Moxie]

If a person eats in a restaurant once a day (like many working people do) it would be very easy to go over the 12 limit. Sugar is added to everything and you have to be diligent to avoid it.

[SeaConquest]

Coffeemate is what does me in.

[Plateau Mama]

I wonder the same thing. Isn't sugar sugar? Table sugar comes from a natural source does it not?

 

 

No sugar isn't sugar. A piece of fruit with x amount of sugar will fill you up more and take longer to digest because of the fiber than a cookie or a glass of juice with the same amount of sugar. Thus you will be full longer and because your body has had to work harder to digest it will have used up more calories in the process.

[Mom in High Heels]

James Bond frequently consumes more than the 10%, but he's getting better about it.  He used to drink 4 or more soft drinks a day (Mt. Dew was his drug of  choice), but he's been tapering it down and is at 1 a day, and has moved to Pepsi Max, which is a diet version.  I don't like that it has Aspertame in it though.    He still has too much sugar, IMO, but we're going one step at a time.  The kids don't get a lot of sugar because I make sure of it.  I've started eating too much since we've been back in the US, and I'm feeling it.  Blah.

 

I know many people who eat WAY more than the 10% sugar.  I've seen my step-dad eat an entire package of cookies.  He's a big sugar addict.  My mom is too.  It's insane, and they can't figure out why their fat.  

[Stacia]

Sure, I think many regularly reach over 12 tsp of sugar a day. If you drink sodas or juices (even things like Gatorade or a Snapple), eat a bowl of cereal or have a fruit yogurt, have a cookie or piece of candy (hey, mom, is that you eating a piece of chocolate over there?), eat ketchup on something, use a jarred spaghetti sauce, eat a granola bar, grab a flavored drink or hot chocolate at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, etc..., you will reach 12 tsp before you know it. Many (most?) packaged foods of any kind have sugar in them (including bread, buns, etc...), even ones you wouldn't suspect. And, with the busy schedules that people have (at least around where I live), it is easy to go for picking up foods & snacks while out, adding to all this sugar consumption.

 

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/sugar-shockers-foods-surprisingly-high-in-sugar

 

Given the obesity 'epidemic' in this country (& which is being seen in other industrialized countries), probably many people eat more than 12 tsp a day pretty easily.

[DianeW88]

Totally easy to consume that much sugar in one day.  Just have jam with toast, chips and salsa (processed salsa has plenty of it), a huge salad with dressing (salad dressing has a ton), a commercial fruit smoothie, veggies with a glaze or sauce, yogurt, anything with ketchup (almost has more sugar than it does tomatoes), breakfast cereal (even the healthy kind), commercially made granola bars, any kind of bread or roll (store bought), most commercially canned fruits are prepared with sugar, chicken with barbeque sauce, crackers (yep, even the savory ones), fruit leather, steak sauce (as well as almost every other commercially prepared condiment in your fridge), spaghetti sauce, pancake mix, canned soup, peanut butter, even my box of Panko bread crumbs has sugar as an ingredient.  Shall I go on? :D

[Truscifi]

One of my relatives has a 46oz Big Chug of coke from the gas station every single day. And that is far from the only thing with added sugar she eats/drinks.

 

I have no trouble at all believing people go way over the 12 tsps, much less 6.

[Dory]

My kids and dh don't get much sugar. They have some on Saturdays with a fun cereal and usually a few snacks, but not during the week. Because I make so much of our jams, condiments, and other stuff from scratch, I can really limit the sugar around here. I, on the other hand, consume WAY more sugar than I should. I've been hooked on Coke or Pepsi since I was 2. I was drinking almost 10 cans a day. I will taper it down to 1 a day but then I'll get stressed (PTSD) and my consumption level will skyrocket back up. I haven't managed to ever completely leave it. The longest I've gone without it is 2 days and I couldn't function. It takes a ton of work just to get it to 1 can. Someday though, I'll get rid of it.

[Plateau Mama]

No, but sugar is sugar irregardless of the source.  I'm not talking about whether or not it fills a person up or contains other good things about it.  I realize a cookie is better than an apple.  Not the point I was trying to make.

 

But how it affects your body is different.  That is why the distinction between fruit and juice etc. in the recommendation.  (The post above you was asking why there was a distinction between what was counted and not.). Your body can only process so much sugar at a time.  When you drink a glass of juice, it's going to hit your system faster and be harder for your body to rid the extra sugar than it is eating the same amount of sugar in the fruit form, (if you could even eat that much fruit at one time.)

 

IMO sugar is not sugar.  Naturally occurring sugars as in fruits and veggies are different than even cane sugar.  Unless you are eating it straight from the sugar cane it has been processed and anytime you start processing food your body has a harder time dealing with it.  Now if you have a choice between something like HFCS and cane sugar, than cane sugar is always the better choice.  Always.   

[LucyStoner]

My kids and dh don't get much sugar. They have some on Saturdays with a fun cereal and usually a few snacks, but not during the week. Because I make so much of our jams, condiments, and other stuff from scratch, I can really limit the sugar around here. I, on the other hand, consume WAY more sugar than I should. I've been hooked on Coke or Pepsi since I was 2. I was drinking almost 10 cans a day. I will taper it down to 1 a day but then I'll get stressed (PTSD) and my consumption level will skyrocket back up. I haven't managed to ever completely leave it. The longest I've gone without it is 2 days and I couldn't function. It takes a ton of work just to get it to 1 can. Someday though, I'll get rid of it.

Have you seen Zevia? It is canned soda sweetened with stevia so calorie free but with none of the issues with diet coke. It has caffeine. When I have a little fall off the wagon, the Zevia brand Dr. Pepper knock off helps a lot. It's worth a try.

[Laura Corin]

I wonder the same thing.  Isn't sugar sugar?  Table sugar comes from a natural source does it not? 

 

I read somewhere that the average American consumes 3 pounds of sugar a week.  Holy cow.  I guess that in large part pertains to those who drink sugary sodas regularly. 

 

I had always heard that the difference was that whole fruits contained other nutrients (fibre, vitamins) that were so worthwhile that they overcame the negative aspects of the sugar.  It's not that the sugar is so 'different', it's just wrapped in a package of healthy stuff.  In addition, it's pretty hard to eat twelve whole apples at a sitting, whereas the sugar content of twelve apples would go down easily.

 

L

[Laura Corin]

Totally easy to consume that much sugar in one day.  Just have jam with toast, chips and salsa (processed salsa has plenty of it), a huge salad with dressing (salad dressing has a ton), a commercial fruit smoothie, veggies with a glaze or sauce, yogurt, anything with ketchup (almost has more sugar than it does tomatoes), breakfast cereal (even the healthy kind), commercially made granola bars, any kind of bread or roll (store bought), most commercially canned fruits are prepared with sugar, chicken with barbeque sauce, crackers (yep, even the savory ones), fruit leather, steak sauce (as well as almost every other commercially prepared condiment in your fridge), spaghetti sauce, pancake mix, canned soup, even my box of Panko bread crumbs has sugar as an ingredient.  Shall I go on? :D

 

That diet would be so unusual for me that I can't imagine getting much sugar...  The only things from that list that I eat are bread, breakfast cereal (low sugar), non-sugar crackers and an occasional spoonful of yoghurt.

 

L

[DianeW88]

That diet would be so unusual for me that I can't imagine getting much sugar...  The only things from that list that I eat are bread, breakfast cereal (low sugar), non-sugar crackers and an occasional spoonful of yoghurt.

 

L

 

Well, I wouldn't eat like that in one day either.  But I do use salad dressing, ketchup, peanut butter, yogurt, etc.  And for many kids in the U.S....that would be considered a good diet.  My main point was to show that sugar is a hidden ingredient in almost every single commercially prepared food out there.  Even if you eliminated the obvious culprits like cookies, cakes, and ice cream, your diet would still have PLENTY of sugar in it if you consume processed foods.  And most people do.

[Dory]

Have you seen Zevia? It is canned soda sweetened with stevia so calorie free but with none of the issues with diet coke. It has caffeine. When I have a little fall off the wagon, the Zevia brand Dr. Pepper knock off helps a lot. It's worth a try.

 

I haven't seen it before. I might find some and give it a try. Stevia and me haven't gotten along well in the past. I already have pretty low blood pressure and stevia seems to lower it further. But perhaps it's just been a fluke. I'll try it and see if it works for me, thanks for the tip, it looks interesting.

[Mom in High Heels]

I steer clear of Stevia.  It was illegal in Germany, though I heard they were thinking of making it legal when we left.  I don't think any of the other EU countries allowed it either.  It's very, very processed, unless you grow your own Stevia plant.  

 

I think HFCS is a big contributor to the problems in the US.  It is highly addictive, IMO, and only makes you crave more and more.  HFCS is not allowed in Europe, which I loved, because it wasn't 4x the money to get a product without HFCS.  It's really hard to find non-HFCS products in the US, unless you want to pay an outrageous price.  Items with HFCS are much less expensive.  I do pay the higher price though, because I'm against it as much as possible.  We don't completely avoid it, but at home I try not to have items with HFCS in them.