Cut sugar intake to 5 teaspoons a day, scientists urge !

This is a report about saving teeth from decay but interesting to look at the wider health implications. Some extracts.

"Sugar intake should be halved to just five teaspoons a day, after scientists warned that treats which have traditionally been saved for birthdays or Christmas have become everyday staples.

A study by Newcastle University into the effects of sugar on our oral health recommends cutting down sugar to reduce tooth decay.

Since 1990 the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that intake of “free sugars” should be less than 10 per cent of total energy (calorie) intake."

"The NHS currently recommends that foods that are high in sugar should be kept to a minimum.

High sugar diets are known to lead to heart disease and diabetes.

Added sugars shouldn’t make up more than 10% of the energy (calorie intake) you get from food and drink each day.

This is about 70g for men and 50g for women but it varies depending size, age and activity. More than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g is considered high for food."

Carbohydrates are sugars from Wiki.

The term is most common in biochemistry, where it is a synonym of saccharide. The carbohydrates (saccharides) are divided into four chemical groupings: monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. In general, the monosaccharides and disaccharides, which are smaller (lower molecular weight) carbohydrates, are commonly referred to as sugars.^[6] The word saccharidecomes from the Greek word σάκχαρον (sákkharon), meaning "sugar."

Starch is sugar from Wiki

Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants as an energy store. It is the most common carbohydrate in human diets and is contained in large amounts in such staple foods aspotatoes, wheat, maize (corn), rice, and cassava.

Link to story here.

I often wonder how many people walking around realise how much sugar they are consuming every day. Looking at the food people are buying at the checkout, I reckon some peoples diets are around 70% sugar and they are usually over weight and so are their kids. So often I see a slim old person at the checkout, and vegetables, fruit and meat make up the bulk of their purchases. Probably the reason they are still slim and active well into their seventies and eighties. 

Onwards and upwards.

Eddie