Thoughts on WHO's new measures to restrict sugar consumption
Chen Junshi
2014.4.3
Former address: Food Nutrition Information Center http://www.chinafic.org/rel/fb ! show_son.do?wode=154&Id=1864
Recently, the World Health Organization（ WHO ）Ask worldwide about the plan to "add sugar" to each person every day（ free sugar, (excluding sugar contained in food) 10% , reduce to 5% 。 Adult men usually take it from their diet every day two thousand Large calorie energy meter, "added sugar" should not exceed twenty-five Gram. As the saying goes, "One stone stirs up a thousand waves", this WHO draft for comment is from three month five After the announcement, it has aroused heated debate in academia, government departments and business circles, with both hands in favor and strongly opposed; Some praised this move for its insightfulness, while others questioned its scientific basis. Of course, there are great differences in views due to different positions. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the general concerns of the food industry.
If, after soliciting opinions, WHO officially released the recommended upper limit of "added sugar" intake per person per day to be reduced to 5% of total dietary energy; Although this is only a recommendation and not mandatory, as a nutrition or public health strategy/measure proposed by an international authoritative health agency, it has a significant impact on the strategies and management measures of governments and the development of the food industry. This article is not intended to discuss the food industry, because this is not my specialty. The following thinking will focus on the scientific basis of this strategy/measure.
Develop any public health (e.g. nutrition) strategy / Measures should be based on science, specifically risk based scientific evidence, that is, risk based management emphasized internationally（ risk-based management ）。 This is true in the field of food safety, as well as in the field of nutrition or environmental health. I have no intention or possibility to reduce the intake of "added sugar" to 5% This strategy / Whether the measures have sufficient scientific basis is just to introduce what I know to the readers and provide some objective scientific information for reference when reading other articles on this topic.
WHO has attached two important studies to the draft for comments, which is also the proposal of the WHO expert group to reduce the intake of "added sugar" and 5% The main basis of. It is generally believed that the purpose of reducing the intake of "added sugar" is to control the increasingly prominent obesity problem in the world. Indeed, one of the studies cited a lot of research evidence that eating more sugar is related to weight gain and obesity [1] ； However, in the international research on sugar, weight and obesity, there are also some research reports that eating more sugar is not related to weight gain and obesity. I can't judge which aspect has more research and more evidence, but it can be seen that the research evidence in this aspect is not as one-sided and undisputed as that of taking more salt and increasing blood pressure. The expert group also did not propose 5% It is based on the evidence of obesity research. In fact, there are many reasons for obesity, but the fundamental reason is that the intake of dietary energy is greater than the consumption. Even if only energy intake is considered, besides sugar, there are fat and protein, the two energy supplying nutrients. Therefore, it should be concluded from the population study that 10% Energy sugar will increase obesity, and 5% It is very difficult to find scientific evidence that sugar can prevent and control obesity.
WHO expert group proposed 5% The other reason is that sugar intake increases the risk of dental caries. Researchers from the University of Newcastle in the UK conducted a systematic analysis of the previous rich research results, and - Reaction relation 5% Conclusion that the sugar of [2] 。 However, some scientists believe that several important studies cited in this study are fifty It was carried out years ago, just after World War II. People's nutritional status, personal hygiene level, especially oral hygiene status are quite different from the current ones, and cannot be used to formulate current public health strategies / Basis of measures.
In nutrition, sugar is not a good thing, because it can only provide energy and has no other nutrients. However, people who eat sugar to supplement energy generally do not need it, except for athletes who need it in some cases. However, we should not ignore that it is human nature to love sweetness. Newborn babies smile when they taste sweet, and cry or have unpleasant facial expressions when they taste other tastes (salty, bitter, sour). Although the taste preferences of infants will change when they grow up into adults, there is no denying that a considerable number of people like sweet food. In order to meet the needs of consumers, food enterprises need to add sugar or safe sweeteners in food processing. With the development of society and the improvement of living standards, there are more and more sweet foods on the market, which is an inevitable trend. It is unnecessary for us to oppose sugar blindly, or even regard sugar as "white poison". As a food ingredient, sugar can completely become a part of a balanced diet to meet people's taste for sweetness. But at the same time, we should also publicize the basic knowledge about sugar to consumers, and warn people not to eat more sugar according to the concept of balanced diet.
Again, I do not intend to comment in this article that WHO intends to propose that the consumption of added sugar should be reduced from 10% Lower to 5% Whether there is sufficient scientific basis, but just want to provide some objective information in the current discussions and disputes for the reference of readers. The last paragraph about eating sugar is consistent with my usual saying that "food is good or bad, but the key is collocation and moderation".
reference:
[1]Lisa Te Morenga, Simonette Mallard, Jim Mann. Dietary sugars and body weight: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and cohort studies. BMJ 2013; 346:e7492
[2]P.J. Moynihan1, S.A.M. Kelly. Effect on Caries of Restricting Sugars Intake Systematic Review to Inform WHO Guidelines. JDR, 2014, 93(1): 8-18.
Extended reading:
WHO sugar intake guidelines (draft) for comments
Can you skip sugar?
