A new study points out that the recommended sugar intake of 5% should be further reduced to 3% after they discovered that the prevalence of tooth decay among children increases with higher sugar consumption.
The study, which was later published in BMC Public Health, asked government agencies and health organizations to bring down the sugar intake limit to as low as 3%.
In a graphical data provided by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey for 2008-2012, children who are at between 1.5 years old and 3 years old already derive more than 11% of their energy from food with sugary content. Teens, who are from 11 to 18 years, consumed the most at 74.2 grams or 15.6%. An increase of 5% from zero sugar intake can already double the incidents of children's tooth decay, which will then have a huge impact on health care costs, among others.
Professor Philip James of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a co-author of the study suggests certain measures to help curb sugar intake. These include removing vending machines selling sugary food in government-controlled areas such as hospitals and schools. The government may also consider increase in taxes on sugar.
Early this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already started creating a proposal for reducing the amount of sugar consumption per day. In 2002, the limit was set on 10%. With the new guidelines, WHO is bringing it to half or 5%. This means that a person with a normal BMI (body mass index) is allowed only up to 6 teaspoons or 25 grams. The limit will also extend to all types of sugars that are usually found in packaged food such as fructose and glucose.
Meanwhile, the recommendations in the study hope to significantly reduce the prevalence of obesity especially among children and teens. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence has increased to twice among children and four times among teens within the last 30 years.
