Dietary data from 1994-1996 suggested that U.S. individuals aged 2 years or older consume about 16 percent of their daily energy as added sugars. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said that the most commonly consumed added sugars today are refined beet or cane sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup.
Other than the obvious dietary reasons that make this bad, the large intake of sugar has been found to increase the possibilities of heart attack and make people more susceptible to cancer.
JAMA wrote: “While chemically there appears to be little difference between naturally occurring sugars and those added foods, in 2000 the U.S. Dietary Guidelines began to use the term added sugars to help consumers identify foods that provide energy but few micronutrients or phytochemicals. Dietary guidelines for added sugars vary widely. The Institute of Medicine suggests a limit of 25 percent of total energy, the World Health Organization advises less than 10 percent of total energy, and recent recommendations from the American Heart Association advise limiting added sugars to fewer than 100 calories daily for women and 150 calories daily for men (approximately 5 percent of total energy).”
According to WebMD, the American Heart Association (AHA) in 2006 recommended minimizing beverages and foods with added sugars. However, in a resent release, the AHA has become more specific.
The AHA’s release includes examples of upper limits on added sugars for various groups of adults, but not for children.
- Active man aged 21-25: up to 18 teaspoons (288 calories)
- Sedentary man aged 46-50: up to 9 teaspoons (144 calories)
- Moderately active woman aged 51-55: up to 5 teaspoons (80 calories)
- Sedentary woman aged 71-75: up to 3 teaspoons (48 calories)
According to the AHA, one 12-ounce can of cola contains about eight teaspoons of sugar, or about 130 calories. That amount exceeds the amount for a moderately active woman in her early 50s.
