'Eat NO more than 12 teaspoons of sugar a day' - that's just one small bottle of soda! New dietary guidelines call for tough action on added sugars
- US government issued new dietary guidelines, calling for reduced sugar
- Officials
'Eat NO more than 12 teaspoons of sugar a day' - that's just one small bottle of soda! New dietary guidelines call for tough action on added sugars
- US government issued new dietary guidelines, calling for reduced sugar
- Officials say adults must slash daily sugar intake from 270 to 200 calories
- Sugary drinks account for 47% of the sugars Americans ingest daily
- The guidelines also recommend adults lower their salt intake
- They reverse prior cholesterol advice, saying eggs and lean meat are fine
Adults must drastically reduce the amount of sugar they consume, the US government warned.
New dietary guidelines recommend people ingest no more than 200 calories of sugar a day.
That's nearly 10 per cent of their daily caloric intake - or 50 grams of sugar, roughly 12 teaspoons.
Currently adults consume nearly 270 calories from sugar each day, equating to 13 of their diet.
Those calories mostly stem from sugars added to soft drinks, sports drinks, cakes and other snacks.
Reducing sugar intake is vital for achieving healthy eating patterns and tackling obesity, government experts said.
'Small changes can add up to big differences,' said agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack.
New dietary guidelines from the US government recommend American slash their daily sugar intake from 270 calories down to 200 calories a day. Under the guidelines, sugar accounts for 10 per cent of daily caloric intake
The US government says 47 per cent of adults' daily sugar intake stems from sugary beverages, mostly soft drinks. Snacks and sweets account for 31 per cent of sugar intake, as well
The guidelines follow the World Health Organization's recent recommendation that no more than 10 per cent of a person's daily calories should come from added sugars.
However, the UN agency advised that people aim for no more than five per cent - 25g or around six teaspoons - to combat weight gain and an increased risk of diseases including diabetes, as well as tooth decay.
The US guidelines said: ‘When added sugars in foods and beverages exceed 10 per cent of calories, a healthy eating pattern may be difficult to achieve.’
The recommendation is part of a larger push to help consumers isolate added sugars from naturally occurring ones like those in fruit and milk.
Added sugars generally add empty calories to the diet.
Sugar-sweetened beverages make up a lar