Sugars And Health Controversies: What Does The Science Say?

Keywords

Added sugars; Diabetes; Fructose; High-fructose corn sugar; Metabolism; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Sucrose; The metabolic syndrome

Abstract

The consumption of sugar and its relation to various potential adverse health consequences are the subjects of considerable debate and controversy. This supplement to Advances in Nutrition provides an expanded summary of a symposium held on 26 April 2014 entitled "Sugars and Health Controversies: What Does the Science Say?" as part of the ASN Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2014. The articles in the supplement discuss results of current systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well as randomized controlled trials and draw implications for public policy considerations. In addition, future research gaps are identified. Current research trials conducted with commonly consumed sugars [e.g., sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)] do not support a unique relation to obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, risk factors for heart disease, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Neurologic differences in response to studies that used pure fructose compared with pure glucose have not been confirmed using typical sugars that are consumed (i.e., sucrose and HFCS), which contain ~50% glucose and fructose. We conclude that added sugars consumed in the normal forms in which humans consume them, at amounts typical of the human diet and for the time period studied in randomized controlled trials, do not result in adverse health consequences. Although more research trials are needed in many areas of sugar consumption and health, there is little scientific justification for recommending restricting sugar consumption below the reasonable upper limit recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 of no more than 25% of calories.

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Publication Title

Advances in Nutrition

Volume

6

Issue

4

Number of Pages

493S-503S

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.3945/an.114.007195

Socpus ID

84953408462 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84953408462

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS