Authors

  1. Section Editor(s): Kennedy, Maureen Shawn MA, RN

Article Content

Americans eat too much added sugar. Americans get too many calories from added sugar, especially in soft drinks and sugary beverages. In the past 30 years, Americans' caloric intake has climbed by as much as 300 calories per day, with nearly half coming from sugary beverages, while physical activity has stagnated. Studies show that increased consumption of so-called "added sugars", especially high-fructose corn syrup (the principal added sugar in soft drinks), contributes to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and even, according to some studies, inflammation. Updated guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) urge people to cut their sugar intake from today's average daily level of 22 teaspoons (355 calories) to five teaspoons (80calories) in women and nine teaspoons (144 calories) in men. (About eight teaspoons of sugar (130 calories) are packed into one 12-oz. can of soda.) The AHA's guidelines, an update of its diet and lifestyle recommendations published in 2006, appear inthe August 24 issue of Circulation. Read them at http://www.americanheart.org/nutrition/sugar.