The Food and Drug Administration has recommended a daily cap on sugar for the first time, according to a blog from The New York Times.
Under the FDA's proposed guidelines, Americans should limit their added sugar consumption to no more than 10 percent of daily calories, which is equal to roughly 12.5 teaspoons, or 50 grams, per day for someone older than the age of 3.
The FDA came up with the 10 percent cap based on modeling different kinds of healthy diet patterns — American, Mediterranean and vegetarian — and determining how many discretionary calories are left over for sugar after an individual gets the nutrients he or she needs, Susan Krebs-Smith, PhD, the chief of the risk factors assessment branch at the National Cancer Institute, told the NYT.
Some critics from the food industry argue added sugar intake is not as important as monitoring total calorie intake, but the FDA received support from the World Health Organization. Not only did WHO endorse the FDA's 10 percent cap on sugars — not including sugar in fresh fruits, vegetables and milk — the international health agency urged people to aim even lower, to just 5 percent, according to the report.
Although the recommendation was made in late July, the public comment period just recently closed, according to an FDA official who spoke with Becker's.
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