Adults could be advised to halve the amount of sugar in their diets under new guidelines from the World Health Organisation.
Experts are considering lowering the recommended limit of ten teaspoons a day to just five over fears that it is contributing to heart disease, obesity and tooth decay. Food companies may have to change their products to lower the sugar content, which would be hugely expensive and could prove unpopular with some consumers.
A single can of cola contains ten teaspoons of sugar, a Mars bar has five, a bowl of Coco Pops has about four and there are eight in some ready meals.
The average Briton consumes 12 teaspoons a day, although research has found that some adults in industrialised countries are eating as many as 46 daily.
Philip James, president of the International Association for the Study on Obesity, which works with the WHO, described the suggestion as ‘political dynamite’.
‘The food industry will do everything in their power to undermine this,’ he said.
The guidance suggests lowering the amount of sugar added to food – excluding that which occurs naturally in fruit or starch - from 10 per cent to five per cent of the daily allowance, which is equivalent to five teaspoons.
The policy would almost certainly be adopted by the Department of Health.
Professor Shrinath Reddy, a cardiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health and member of the WHO panel of experts, said: ‘I would agree with the recommendation to reduce it to five per cent.
‘There is overwhelming evidence coming out about sugar-sweetened beverages and other sugar consumption links to obesity, diabetes and even cardiovascular disease.’
More on this story here.
Eddie
Edited to add the: History of High Fructose Corn Syrup
Statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (2011) show that the average consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has increased from 0.5 pounds a year in 1970; to 43.5 pounds a year in 2010.
http://cosmos.ucdavis.edu/
Graham
2 comments:
We need these recommendations to happen.
Paul B
Paul I agree with you we badly need some recommendations that are then made law if the health of this country and the rest of the world is ever going to improve. I see trouble on the horizon with the large food companies and those with lobbying interests having to work doubly hard; which they will; to not have this idea go through.
Roy
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