Americans must cut back on extra sugar, heart group reports

Most of that added sugar comes from soft drinks and candy - a whopping 355 calories and the equivalent of guzzling two cans of soda and eating a chocolate bar.

By comparison, most women should be getting no more than six teaspoons a day, or 100 calories, of added sugar - the sweeteners and syrups that are added to foods during processing, preparation, or at the table. For most men, the recommended limit is nine teaspoons, or 150 calories, the heart group says.

The guidelines do not apply to naturally occurring sugars like those found in fruit, vegetables, or dairy products.

Rachel K. Johnson, lead author of the statement published online yesterday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, said it was time to give specific advice on how much added sugar Americans should be getting, not just advising moderation.

“Take a good, hard look at your diet,’’ said Johnson, professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington. “Figure out where the sources of added sugars are and think about how to cut back on that.’’

She said about eight ounces of fruit-flavored yogurt has about six teaspoons of added sugar; eight ounces of low-fat chocolate milk has about four teaspoons; a cup of frosted whole grain cereal has about three teaspoons.

The biggest culprits for the glut of sugar? Soft drinks by far, followed by candy, cakes, cookies, and pies.

With about 8 teaspoons of added sugar, a regular 12-ounce soft drink will put most women over the recommended daily limit.

Cutting back on sugar likely won’t be easy for many people, said Lona Sandon, a dietitian at Dallas’s University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

“I think it’s probably going to be a struggle for quite a few people,’’ Sandon said.

Calculating one’s sugar intake can be tricky as the government doesn’t require labels to differentiate added sugars from naturally occurring sugars, said Johnson. But she points out that the biggest sources, like regular soft drinks and sweets, are pretty obvious. And the US Department of Agriculture has a database for the added sugar in some foods.

To check for added sugar, look for a variety of ingredients including sugar, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, molasses, or evaporated cane juice on the label.

The heart group didn’t recommend general limits for added sugar for children; a national health survey has shown that teens ages 14 to 18 consume 34 teaspoons of added sugar a day.

Sandon said parents can help lower that sugar intake by getting soda out of the house, looking at how much sugar is in their children’s cereal, and substituting snacks like cookies with popcorn.

Johnson concedes that sugar does enhance the taste of food, but she said, “If you are consuming excessive amounts of added sugar, you will add calories, which leads to weight gain, or you will displace other essential nutrients.’’