World Health Organisation Urges Sugar Consumption To Be Cut By 5% Of Daily Calories
The World Health Organisation has urged people to eat less sugar, suggesting that sugar intake should not exceed 5 per cent of an individual’s daily calorie count.
The new figure equates to less than a single can of Coca Cola and is significantly lower than the target intake of 10 per cent mentioned in guidelines issued in 2003. The new advice is that the general public should try to reduce the amount of sugar consumed on a daily basis, with an optimum daily consumption of less than 5% of the recommended daily calorie intake.
The announcement from the WHO comes in light of concerns about rapid increases in child and adult obesity and soaring rates of tooth decay in many countries. One of the main concerns is the excessive consumption of fizzy drinks and energy drinks, with one can of Coca Cola containing 35g of sugar.
Nutrition experts have been working on research into free sugars, which are added sugars, rather than those found naturally in foods such as fruit and vegetables and the results have now been published. Research shows that increased levels of tooth decay among children who have sugar consumption, which equates to more than 10 per cent of their daily calorie intake. It was also found that children who got more than 5% of their calories from sugar experienced increased levels of decay, although the incidence was lower.
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