Weighing in on Added Sugars and Health

Registered dietitians, nutrition scientists, nutrition policy makers, and advocacy groups are increasingly focusing on added sugars. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines added sugars as all sugars used as ingredients in processed and prepared foods, and sugars eaten separately or added to foods at the table. Added sugars do not include the naturally occurring sugars lactose (in milk and dairy products) or fructose (in fruit). In 2009, a writing group for the American Heart Association (AHA), published a scientific statement that for the first time made specific recommendations for added sugars intakes based on people's energy needs. The AHA statement concluded that most women should limit their daily added sugars intake to 100 kcal, or about 6 tsp; for men, the recommendation is 150 kcal, or 9 tsp. The statement generated unprecedented interest from the popular press and the AHA estimated that it received more than 60 million media impressions. Here, Johnson and Yon focus on these matters and offers not only the facts surrounding the problem, but reasonable solutions for how to address them in a practical, meaningful way.