The American Heart Association has recently established new dietary guidelines pertaining to sugar. American’s should drastically reduce the amount of sugar added at the table, during cooking, and food preparation. AHA reported in a scientific statement ” added sweeteners-sugars not found naturally in food- should not account for more than 100 calories a day for women and150 for men”.
American’s current intake averages 22 teaspoons/day or 355 calories, mostly from soda and other sweetened beverages. A single can of soda contains about 8 teaspoons of sugar! Soda remains to be a major cause of childhood obesity and has replaced milk in many of our childrens diet, leading to vitamin D deficiency.Studies,although not conclusive, have reported added sugar may raise blood pressure, lipids,inflammation,and oxidative stress.
The AHA has recommended a reduction of dietary sugar intake since 2006, however this is the first time they have recommended a upper limit. With obesity and metabolic syndrome on the rise these recommendations are timely, let’s just hope the at risk population follows these recommendations.
