AHA Sets Guidelines on Limiting Consumption of Added Sugars
The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued guidelines on limiting the consumption of added sugars, claiming that most American women should consume no more than 100 calories (six teaspoons) of added sugars per day and men no more than 150 calories (nine teaspoons). Citing a report from the 2001-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, AHA notes that the average intake of added sugars for all Americans was 22.2 teaspoons per day. The AHA guidelines provide information about “the relationship between excess sugar intake and metabolic abnormalities, adverse health conditions and shortfalls in essential nutrients.”
“Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories,” said lead author and nutrition professor Rachel Johnson in an AHA press release. “Consuming foods and beverages with excessive amounts of added sugars displaces more nutritious foods and beverages for many people.” Johnson purports that sugars added to foods during processing or preparation are linked to the rise in obesity and are associated
with increased risks for high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, other risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and inflammation, a marker for heart disease.
Johnson claims soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the No. 1 source of added sugars in Americans’ diet. “One 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 130 calories and eight teaspoons of sugar,” she was quoted as saying. But a spokesperson for the American Beverage Association told a news source that obesity and heart disease are complex problems that can not be reduced to the number of calories found in particular drinks. “You can be a healthy person and enjoy soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages in moderation,” the spokesperson said. “What matters most is balancing the calories from the food and beverages we eat and drink with regular physical activity.” See American Heart Association Press Release, August 24, 2009; FoodNavigator-USA.com, August 25, 2009.
