WHO Recommends Half of Last Year's Sugar Intake

New guidelines drafted by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that free sugars should account for less than five percent of a person's caloric intake each day.

These changes to the recommendations were drafted after United Nations health officials were swayed by an increasing heap of evidence connecting free sugars intake to weight gain and dental problems.

Free sugars mainly consist of the sugars added to foods by manufacturers and cooks, but are also naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices. The most infamous source of free sugars is soda. According to a number of studies recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 15 percent of the average U.S. adult's daily caloric intake comes from added (free) sugars -- that's three times the WHO's new recommendation. What's worse, one study says that 37 percent of the average U.S. sugar intake comes from a single 20 oz. soft drink, meaning that the WHO's daily recommendation is met with one visit to the vending machine.

It should be said that the WHO recommendation is being referred to as a "conditional recommendation" as different types of people require different levels of sugar and caloric intake to make it through a day.

Still, this new sugar intake recommendation is half of the previous recommendation, which was 10 percent, or about 50 grams of sugar (12 tablespoons) a day. That's a massive cut in sugars, and while the WHO appears to believe it necessary, they have currently opened the sugar guidelines draft to public consultation, taking the opinions of the world's citizens and experts very seriously.

While WHO guidelines do not have to be followed by any nation, many may still to take these new health recommendations concerning sugars seriously, regulating their sugar market accordingly.

If you would like to provide commentary on the new WHO sugar intake recommendations, you can read the entire draft and submit a declaration of interest here.