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  • Page | Last updated: 08 Apr 2021

Dietary recommendations for sugars intake

Health Promotion Knowledge Gateway

Dietary recommendations for sugars intake as described by food- and health-related organisations

Source

Dietary recommendation
EFSA 2010a
  • Available evidence not sufficient to set an upper limit for intake of added sugars.
  • Nevertheless, evidence of effects on weight gain, dental caries and micronutrient intake should be considered when establishing nutrient goals for populations, recommendations for individuals and food-based dietary guidelines.
WHO 2015
  • Reduce intake of free sugars throughout life (strong recommendation)a
  • For adults and children, reduce intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).
  • Suggestion for further reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake (conditional recommendation)b
JPGN 2017
  • 'Intakes of free sugars should be reduced and minimised with a desirable upper limit of <5% energy intake in children and adolescents aged ≥ 2–18 years. [...] Intakes should be even lower in infants and toddlers <2 years'.
  • 'Smoothies and sweetened milk drinks/products (ie, milk products containing a higher concentration of sugars than unprocessed human, cow or goat milk, such as chocolate milks, condensed milks, fruit yoghurts) […] are an important source of free sugars and their intake should be limited'.
  • 'Sugar-containing beverages and foods (SSBs, fruit juices, fruit based smoothies and sweetened milk drinks/products) should be replaced by water or, in the latter case, with unsweetened milk drinks/products with lactose up to the amount naturally present in milk and unsweetened milk products'.
ANSES 2016
  • 'a recommendation focusing only on intakes of 'added' sugars is not justified…the available data cannot be used to distinguish the health effects of sugars naturally present in food from those of added sugars'.
  • 'there is a range of evidence converging towards the harmful effects of high sugar intakes which makes it necessary to issue recommendations limiting sugar intakes in the population. The data currently available cannot be used to precisely establish the threshold of total sugars from which these effects appear.
  • It is however, necessary to propose an upper limit: 'of 100 g/day for total consumption of sugars, excluding lactose and galactose. This limit applies to the general healthy adult population, and to total sugars, whether they are naturally present in food or added during food manufacture or preparation.
  • 'this value represents an upper intake limit not to be exceeded, and not an intake recommendation'c.
SACN 2015
  • 'It is recommended that the average population intake of free sugars should not exceed 5% of total dietary energy for age groups from 2 years upwards'
  • 'It is recommended that the consumption of sugars-sweetened beverages should be minimised in children and adults'.
NNR 2012
  • Limiting SSBs consumption will contribute to increased micronutrient density and reduced intake of added sugars. Added sugars should be kept below 10 E%.
DGE 2012, DGE 2013
  • 'the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages should be limited, because they increase the risk of obesity and diabetes'.
  • 'Only rarely drink sugar sweetened beverages. They are high in energy, therefore an increased intake can promote overweight'.
ADA 2016
  • People with or at risk of diabetes should avoid SSBs to control weight and reduce risk and reduce consumption of sucrose-containing foods that can displace healthier, more nutrient dense foods.
AHA 2016
AHA 2005
AHA 2009
AHA 2015
AHA webpage
  • For young children (< 2 yrs. of age), 'because there is minimal room for nutrient-free calories in the habitual diets', added sugars should be avoided.
  • Recommendations for children and adolescents: reduce the intake of added sugars, including sugar sweetened beverages, juices and foods. It is recommended that children and adolescents limit intake of SSBs to 1 or fewer 8-oz (approx. 237 ml) beverages per week. It is also reasonable to recommend that children and adolescents consume less than 25 g (100 cal or approx. 6 teaspoons) of added sugars per day.
  • American women and men should not drink or eat more than 100 and 150 calories per day respectively from added sugars (6 and 9 teaspoons respectively).
  • Low- and no calorie beverages e.g. water, diet soft drinks, and fat- free or low-fat milk are better choices than full-calorie soft drinks.
AAP 2004
AAP 2015
  • Limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages; eliminate all type of sweetened drinks in schools.
  • Maximise nutrient density within recommended calorie ranges; strike a balance between reducing excess calories, solid fats, added sugar and sodium, using available calories to encourage intake of nutrient rich foods and beverages.
DGAC 2015
  • Limit added sugars to a maximum of 10% of total dietary caloric intake.
Fitch C. & Keim K.S. 2012
  • Consumers should limit added sugars to help achieve/ maintain a healthy weight.
Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in Europe
  • Food based dietary guidelines from several EU countries recommend less than 10% of daily energy intake should come from sugar.
  • Guidelines recommend limiting sugar consumption from foods and beverages; several recommend to prefer low-sugar or sugar-free alternatives.
WHO 2003
WHO FBDG webpage
  • Food based dietary guidelines from several of the WHO European Region countries recommend limiting sugar consumption from foods and beverages; several recommend choosing low-sugar or sugaring free alternatives.

a Strong recommendations indicate that the desirable effects of adherence to the recommendation outweigh the undesirable consequences and can be adopted as policy in most situations.
WHO handbook for guideline development (2014) 2

b Conditional recommendations are made when there is less certainty about the balance between the benefits and harms or disadvantages of implementing a recommendation. This means that policy-making will require substantial debate and involvement of various stakeholders for translating them into action.
WHO handbook for guideline development (2014) 2