Added sugars, also known asfree sugars, aresugars added tofoods anddrinks duringprocessing or preparation, as opposed to natural sugars which are present before processing and preparation.[1] Medical consensus holds that added sugars contribute littlenutritional value to food,[1] leading to a colloquial description as "empty calories". Overconsumption of sugar is correlated with excessivecalorie intake and increased risk ofweight gain and various diseases.[1][2][3] Individuals who consume 17–21% of their daily calories from added sugar are reported to have a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consume 8% of their daily calories from added sugar.[4]
In the United States, added sugars may includesucrose orhigh-fructose corn syrup, both primarily composed of about halfglucose and halffructose.[5] Other types of added sugar ingredients includebeet andcane sugars,malt syrup,maple syrup,pancake syrup,fructose sweetener,liquid fructose, fruitjuice concentrate,honey, andmolasses.[5][6] The most common types of foods containing added sugars aresweetened beverages, including mostsoft drinks, and also desserts and sweet snacks,[2] which represent 20% of dailycalorie consumption,[1] twice the maximum limit recommended by theWorld Health Organization (WHO).[1] Based on a 2012 study on the use of caloric and noncaloric sweeteners in some 85,000 food and beverage products, 74% of the products contained added sugar.[5][7]
Sweetened beverages contain asyrupmixture of themonosaccharides glucose and fructose formed byhydrolyticsaccharification of thedisaccharide sucrose. Thebioavailability of liquid carbohydrates is higher than in solid sugars, as characterized by sugar type and by the estimated rate of digestion.[8] There is evidence for a positive andcausal relationship between excessive intake of fruit juices and increased risk of some chronicmetabolic diseases.[9]
In 2003, the WHO defined free sugars principally by defining the term "carbohydrate" into elements that relate more directly to the impact on health rather than a chemical definition, and followed on from meta-studies relating tochronic disease,obesity, anddental decay related to the overconsumption of high quantities of added sugar in processed foods.[10] In tandem with theFood and Agriculture Organization, the WHO published a revisedfood pyramid that splits up the diet into more health-directed groups, recommending that a maximum of 10% of an individual's diet should come from free sugars.[11] Sugar companies disputed the WHO report for suggesting that consumption of free sugars within the food pyramid should only amount to a daily maximum of 10%, and that there should be no minimum sugar intake.[12][11][13][14]
In 2015, the WHO published a new guideline on sugar intake for adults and children as a result of an extensive review of the available scientific evidence by a multidisciplinary group of experts. The guideline recommends that both adults and children reduce the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake.[15]
In 2016, added sugar was added to the revised version of thenutrition facts label and was a given a daily value of 50 grams or 200 calories per day for a 2,000 calorie diet.[16][17]
In February 2022, scientists of theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that sugar consumption is a known cause ofdental caries, and that evidence also links to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, juices and nectars with various chronic metabolic diseases including obesity,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, andtype 2 diabetes. EFSA stated: "We underlined there are uncertainties about chronic disease risk for people whose consumption of added and free sugars is below 10% of their total energy intake".[18]
In 2018, theAmerican Heart Association recommended daily intake of sugar for men is 9teaspoons or 36 grams (1.3 oz) per day, and for women, six teaspoons or 25 grams (0.88 oz) per day.[3] Overconsumption of sugars in foods and beverages may increase the risk of several diseases.[3]
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