HEALTH-FITNESS

Understanding added sugars

Pam Stuppy
Higher added sugar intakes can increase the risk of dental cavities and other oral issues, can lead to weight gain, can increase the risk of diabetes, can contribute to high blood triglycerides and can lower HDL (“good cholesterol”).

The average amount of sugar consumed by Americans has reached a staggering 17 teaspoons per person per day. That is equivalent to more than one third of a cup! Caloric sweeteners are not only those we add to foods and beverages, but what is in numerous items we purchase. These sugars can not only negatively impact health and body weight, but higher intakes also tend to be associated with poor diet quality overall.

Of all sources of added sugar intake, beverages rank at the top (nearly 50% of added sugar intake). This would include soda, sports/energy drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened tea and coffee beverages, and numerous other sweetened drinks.

You can play detective for added sugars by looking at the ingredient list on the food label. There are obvious terms that include the word “sugar” (granulated sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, sugar cane juice, brown sugar, raw sugar, etc.).

Terms that appear to be healthy but are considered added sugars would be those related to fruit (fruit juice concentrate, nectar, etc.). The word “syrup” is another easy way to identify added sugar (brown rice syrup, maple syrup, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, carob syrup, etc.). Words ending in “-ose” represent another category of added sugars on a food label (glucose, fructose, dextrose, maltose, etc.).

Other ingredients may appear to be less problematic since they are often associated with health due to being more “natural”, but these are also considered added sugars. This would include molasses, honey, various forms of cane juice, corn sweeteners, and others.

All sugars found in the natural world are made up of combinations of three basic simple sugars – glucose, fructose, and galactose. These simple sugars act similarly in the body. Unsweetened fruits and vegetables contain sugar but this from of sugar operates very differently from the added sugars in our purchased food/beverage products.

The impact of sugar on health depends on how much is consumed at one time and how fast it enters the blood stream. Added sugars are often more concentrated and come rushing into the blood stream.

Fruits and vegetables tend to contain much less sugar than the amount found in processed foods/drinks. The fiber found in fruits and vegetables also slows the entrance of these sugars into the blood stream creating less of a surge. Foods with fiber are also more filling, so we tend to eat less of them at a meal or snack. High levels of blood sugar and surges are more problematic when it comes to health issues.

Foods with higher amounts of added sugar usually contain minimal nutrients as well. A diet high in added sugar often reflects poor diet quality. Such diets tend to be low in fiber and high in processed grain foods.

In children, a diet high in added sugars increases the risk of cardiovascular problems. In adults, there is moderate evidence that high sugar diets increase the risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease.

Higher added sugar intakes can increase the risk of dental cavities and other oral issues, can lead to weight gain, can increase the risk of diabetes, can contribute to high blood triglycerides and can lower HDL (“good cholesterol”).

So how much is too much added sugar? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends keeping added sugar intake to less than 10% of calories. This does not mean we should try for 10%, but instead think of this as a maximum – the lower the better. The most recent statistics tell us that less than 45% of adults and only about one third of children achieve this goal.

The American Heart Association suggests that women and children consume no more than 25gm of added sugar a day, and men no more than 38gm per day. To provide additional information in trying to achieve this goal, the FDA has approved a new line item to be added to the Nutrition Facts label noting the amount of “Added Sugar”. Keep a lookout for the change on the food label as it will be phased in over the upcoming months.

Prior to this, the line item “Sugar” included added sugar, as well as the natural sugar found in fruit, plain milk, plain yogurt, and other healthful ingredients. The change will reflect that these latter items contain important nutrients and do not need to be similarly limited as the added sugars. Note that “Added Sugars” are considered forms of sugar with insignificant nutritional value.

The American Medical Association would like the FDA to make even more changes to the food label. They suggest more obvious warnings on higher sugar foods/beverages and putting a cap on how much sugar a food product can contain if it is claiming health or nutritional benefits.

In addition to the concern for added sugar intake, The World Health Organization discourages excessive intake of even 100% juices, as they can also lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar labels and add unwanted calories.

Maybe write down a few days of your own food and beverage intake. Use the food labels to get an idea of about how much added sugar you consume in a day. Then consider how you can reduce your intake for better overall health.

Pam Stuppy, MS, RD, CSSD, LD is a registered, licensed dietitian with nutrition counseling offices in York, ME and Portsmouth, NH. She is also the nutritionist for Phillips Exeter Academy, presents workshops nationally, and is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics. (See www.pamstuppynutrition.com for more nutrition information, some healthy cooking tips, and recipe ideas).