(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
A 600 ml bottle of soft drink contains 16 teaspoons of sugar. On average.
That’s more than twice the recommended daily sugar intake for adults.
To lessen the chances of developing tooth decay and to increase other health benefits, the World Health Organization recommends that adult sugar intake be equal to 5 percent of an individual’s daily total energy intake.
For the average adult, this is equivalent to 6 teaspoons (equal to 24 grams) of free sugar per day. Free sugars are sugars added to foods and drinks by manufacturers, cooks or consumers; so are sugars found naturally in honey, syrups and fruit juice.
Cutting 20 percent of sugar from packaged foods and 40 percent from beverages could prevent 2.48 million cardiovascular disease such as strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests, according to a study published in Circulation.
It can also prevent 490,000 cardiovascular deaths, and 750,000 diabetes cases in the United States over the lifetime of the adult population.
Consuming sugary foods and beverages causes tooth decay. Sugary foods and beverages are linked to obesity and diseases and cardiovascular disease, the latter the leading cause of mortality in the US.
The study is based on a model that simulates and quantifies the health, economic, and equity impacts of a pragmatic sugar-reduction policy proposed by the US National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative (NSSRI).
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOH).
A partnership of more than 100 local, state and national health organizations convened by the NYC DOH, the NSSRI released draft sugar-reduction targets for packaged foods and beverages in 15 categories in 2018.
Last February, NSSRI finalized the policy with the goal of industry voluntarily committing to gradually reformulate their sugary products.
The researchers found that the NSSRI policy became cost-effective at six years and cost-saving at nine years.
Ten years after the NSSRI policy kicks into place, America could save $4.28 billion in total net health care costs. Add to that $118.04 billion over the lifetime of the current adult population (ages 35 to 79).
The total cost savings of the NSSRI policy rises to $160.88 billion over the adult population’s lifetime. That is when the societal costs of lost productivity of Americans developing diseases from excessive sugar consumption are added to the estimates.
These are conservative estimates. And even partial compliance with the policy could generate significant health and economic gains, the Harvard press release notes.
The researchers hope their model will build consensus on the need for a national-sugar reformulation policy in the US.
“We hope that this study will help push the reformulation initiative forward in the next few years,” says Siyi Shangguan, the study’s lead author and attending physician at MGH.
“Reducing the sugar content of commercially prepared foods and beverages will have a larger impact on the health of Americans than other initiatives to cut sugar, such as imposing a sugar tax, labeling added sugar content, or banning sugary drinks in schools.”
“Sugar is one of the most obvious additives in the food supply to reduce to reasonable amounts,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, the study’s co-senior author and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
“Our findings suggest it’s time to implement a national program with voluntary sugar reduction targets, which can generate major improvements in health, health disparities, and healthcare spending in less than a decade.”
The policy could also benefit Black and Hispanic adults, and Americans with lower income and less education. These are the population groups that consume the most sugar.
America is currently behind other countries when it comes to strong sugar-reduction policies, the Harvard press release observes. The United Kingdom, Norway, and Singapore take the lead on sugar-reformulation efforts.
The US may yet become a leader in protecting its people from the dangers of excessive sugar consumption if the NSSRI’s proposed sugar-reduction targets are achieved.
“The NSSRI policy is by far the most carefully designed and comprehensive, yet achievable, sugar-reformulation initiative in the world,” says Shangguan.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; and Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515./PN
