The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that one’s daily intake of calories from added sugar not exceed 10% of total calories. But when it comes to food and nutrition recommendations, some guidelines aren’t always followed.
According to a new study, published in the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the degree to which people consume sugar-sweetened beverages fluctuates by state and sociodemographic background.
Twenty-three states were surveyed and the District of Columbia. Researchers discovered that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages amongst adults was highest in Mississippi (47.5%), followed by Louisiana (45.5%) and West Virginia (45.2%). Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages at least once per day was common among young adults between the ages of 18 -24 (43.3%), followed by men (34.1%), non-Hispanic blacks (39.9%), unemployed Americans (34.4%), and people without a high school education (42.4%).
Adverse health effects associated with consuming significant sources of added sugars or sugary beverages include obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Study researchers recommend that initiatives aimed at decreasing sugary beverage intake should continue—especially among demographics with the highest reported consumption.
These initiatives could include anything from increasing the availability of drinking water in public spaces to educating people on reducing their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Another recent news report looked at the sugar content found in fruit smoothies and juices— with the central point being that the sugars in many fruits pose a hidden danger to juicing. Fruits contain (what to some) may be a surprising amount of sugar—but is juicing really bad for your health?
Sources for Today’s Article:
Park, S., et al., “Prevalence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Adults — 23 States and the District of Columbia, 2013,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2016; 65:169–17, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6507a1.
“Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020,” Health.gov; http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/, last accessed February 27, 2016.
