We eat way too much sugar every day. A bowl of cereal (equivalent to 4 pieces of sugar), a large glass of orange juice (equivalent to 6 pieces) and a can of soda (equivalent to 7 pieces) in the day and the addition is almost scary! It is on all these hidden sugars that the World Health Organization (WHO) wants to draw attention by launching a public consultation on the limits to be imposed on sugar consumption.
Until March 31, anyone wishing to comment on the subject will be able to submit a declaration of interests to the WHO. At the same time, WHO will launch a consultation with nutrition experts. At the end of this consultation period, the current recommendations on sugar consumption may be revised downwards.
Sugar consumption: go from 12 to 6 pieces per day
Current recommendations on sugar consumption date back to 2002: sugars should represent less than 10% of total daily energy intake (ie about 12 sugar cubes per day). The new draft guidelines propose that, for a normal body mass index (BMI), this intake should be revised downwards and not exceed more than 5% of the total daily energy intake, or 6 lumps of sugar for children. adults and 3 pieces for children.
This WHO project was developed from analyzes of all the scientific studies published on the consumption of sugars and its links with excessive weight gain and the appearance of cavities in adults and children.
Still too many hidden sugars
As the WHO points out, a large part of the sugars consumed today are “hidden” in processed foods which are not always considered sweets. For example, 1 tablespoon of ketchup contains about 1 lump of sugar. A single can of sweet soda contains up to 7 lumps of sugar.
