By John Salak –
There is some good news on the ongoing battle against sugar consumption, which poses a major risk factor for obesity and chronic illness.
University of Bonn researchers report that sugar intake among children and adolescents has been declining steadily since 2010. Unfortunately, these same researchers warn that consumption is still well above levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Our study concerns the intake of free sugars,” explained Dr. Ines Perrar, a research associate at the university and the study’s lead author. The study’s focus is important because as Perrar noted: “There is debate on whether sugar, like salt and fats, is linked to the development of chronic diseases.”
Free sugar is defined by WHO as any form of sugar, including honey, syrup and fruit juice concentrates, added by a manufacturer or when preparing food and beverages at home. Free sugar also includes sugar naturally occurring in juices.
The research team analyzed data from the “Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed” cohort study that has been underway since 1985. It gathers detailed data on the nutrition, metabolism, growth and health of children and adolescents.
Under the program, participants weigh and document everything they eat and drink on three consecutive days every year. Relying on the university’s in-house nutrient database, the research team was able to estimate intake of certain nutrients, including free sugars.”
The team was able to analyze 4,218 sets of three-day weighing dietary records by 751 children and adolescents between ages three and 18 in the years 2010-2023.
“Our finding is that free sugar intake continues to decline,” Dr. Perrar reported, “But average daily intake still exceeds the level recommended by the WHO and the German Nutrition Society of a maximum 10 percent of total daily energy intake.”
More specifically energy intake value has declined from slightly more than 16 percent to 11.7 percent The drop was attributed to increased awareness of the health consequences of excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and certain other sugary foods.
While the decline definitely represents good progress, the researchers note that actual sugar intake is likely higher than the study data suggests, due in part to potential under-reporting by the study participants self-reporting on what they eat.
While the decline specifically focused on Germany, there is a good chance that similar declines have occurred in other European and North American countries, including the United States.
Sugar intake in developed nations, including the U.S., nonetheless is still running dangerously high, leading to chronic problems with weight gain, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, depression and more.
Americans, in fact, are almost addicted to sugar, consuming on average about 66 pounds every year. This means the U.S. population consumes about 300 percent of the daily recommended amount of added sugar, according to AddictionHelp.com.
The American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than six teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar daily, while men should limit themselves to nine teaspoons (38 grams) daily. Washington State University instead reports American consumes three to six times the daily recommended amount.
