USA GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES - CONSUME LESS SUGAR

New dietary suggestions: a step towards reduced sugar intake

By Brian Frank

The U.S. government, through the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA, released its 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Some of the guidelines address sugar intake and, together with proposed changes to the Nutrition Facts label, are intended to encourage reductions in long-term added sugar consumption in the United States.

The guidelines recommend limiting daily “added sugars” to 10% of total calorie intake. This aligns with the FDA’s proposed revisions to the Nutrition Facts label, which would require “added sugars” to be listed separately from naturally occurring sugars. The Nutrition Facts changes were proposed in April 2014 and reintroduced during the summer, but remained proposals at the time of writing. The guidelines also retain recommendations on food groups, including whole grains and dairy.

Commentary on the guidelines has noted that recommendations to reduce sugar intake are not new. However, specifying a 10% threshold provides a defined target. The guidelines cite research indicating that the average American consumes more than 13% of daily calories from added sugar; reducing this to 10% would represent a decrease.

As an illustration, limiting added sugars to 10% of total calories equates to an intake of about 40 pounds of sugar per year for those consuming 2,000 calories per day, and about 60 pounds per year for those consuming 3,000 calories per day. The USDA previously reported that the average American consumes 150 to 170 pounds of refined sugar per year; a reduction from that range to the levels implied by the 10% guideline would be substantial.

The article credits the USDA (Dietary Guidelines) and FDA (proposed Nutrition Facts labelling) for proposing these changes. It also notes that the Nutrition Facts update may face opposition from industry groups. The separation of naturally occurring sugars from added sugars is presented as a way for consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions. The article further states that this distinction would allow consumers to more easily compare products that contain little or no added sugar with products that are primarily sugar-based.

Using the proposed labelling format as an example, the article suggests that a Hammer fuel might list 27 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of added sugar, while a sugar-based competitor’s product might list 25 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of sugar, and 25 grams of added sugar. The article argues that this would make differences between products more visible.

The article also states that high-sugar diets are associated with insulin resistance, hypoglycaemia, type 2 diabetes, and other adverse health outcomes, and argues for major reductions in daily sugar intake.

What you can do

The article lists potential consequences associated with high sugar intake, including cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes, weight gain, Alzheimer’s disease, and tooth decay.

It recommends avoiding refined sugar in the daily diet and reading labels on sports nutrition products. It identifies fructose, sucrose, glucose, and dextrose as simple sugars, and states that these can negatively affect athletic performance, contribute to digestive distress, and have long-term health consequences. For those seeking carbohydrate-based energy sources without added simple sugars, it recommends a maltodextrin-based fuel such as HEED sports drink, Hammer Gel, or Perpetuem, described as containing complex carbohydrates and natural sweeteners, with no added simple sugars, artificial colours, or artificial sweeteners.

“By separating out the naturally occurring sugars from the added sugars, consumers can make better buying decisions. In our case, it would be a good way for clients to easily determine the difference between our products and the sugar-based ones.”