Geneva – The sugar intake of South Africa’s rural communities is about a third less than in urban areas, said the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is recommending a global reduction in the intake of free sugars.
A new guideline from the WHO recommends adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10 percent of their total energy intake to cut tooth decay and being overweight.
A further reduction to below 5 percent or about 25 grams (6 teaspoons) a day would provide additional health benefits, the WHO said yesterday.
The WHO noted differences in rural and urban sugar intake.
An average bowl of breakfast cereal has four teaspoons of sugar and it is very easy to exceed the healthy limit. In the US the average can of “soda” – carbonated soft drink – contains 10 teaspoons of free sugar.
In southern Africa free sugar consumption is generally below the global average but it is growing, said Dr Francesco Branca, director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition for Health and Development.
“In rural communities in South Africa, intake is 7.5 percent while in the urban population it is 10.3 percent (of total energy intake).”
Free sugars refer to monosaccharides (such as glucose, fructose) and disaccharides (such as sucrose or table sugar) added to foods and drinks and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.
“We have solid evidence that keeping intake of free sugars to less than 10 percent of total energy intake reduces the risk of overweight, obesity and tooth decay,” said Branca.
“Making policy changes to support this will be key if countries are to live up to their commitments to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases.”
The WHO guideline does not refer to the sugars in fresh fruits and vegetables, and sugars naturally present in milk, because there is no reported evidence of adverse effects of consuming these sugars.
Much of the sugars consumed today are “hidden” in processed foods that are not usually seen as sweets. For example, one tablespoon of tomato sauce contains about 4 grams (about one teaspoon) of free sugars.
In Europe, the sugar intake of adults ranges from about 7 to 8 percent of total energy intake in countries such as Hungary and Norway, to 16 to 17 percent in countries such as Spain and the UK.
Intake is much higher among children, ranging from about 12 percent in Denmark, Slovenia and Sweden, to 25 percent in Portugal.
Daily News Foreign Service