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Response to article by Malhotra in BMJ
May 2013
Findings from Expert Reviews of the scientific evidence do not support the opinion piece published in the British Medical Journal.
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May 2013
Response to article by Malhotra in BMJ
This is an opinion story that lacks substance. The scientific evidence has been reviewed on numerous occasions by independent expert committees without agendas, including the World Health Organization and European Food Safety Authority. They have concluded that sugar is not implicated as a cause of lifestyle-diseases such as diabetes, heart disease or obesity. Like all sources of calories, sugar can be consumed within a healthy, calorie-balanced diet and active lifestyle.
Consumers can quickly and easily see the total amount of sugars contained within a product by checking the nutrition panel which is usually on the back of a pack. The nutrition panel provides the total amount of sugars, no matter what the source, in g per 100g. This includes both added sugars and those naturally present in components of the product, such as in milk or fruit. This is because added and naturally present sugars are identical. This means that, as stated within the WHO FAO Report (2007), it is not possible to analytically differentiate between naturally occurring and added sugars. The report adds that the use of the term total sugars is the least misleading and confusing to the public. Our bodies likewise do not treat naturally occurring and added sugars differently. For example, the body treats the sugar present in fruits like strawberries exactly the same way it treats the sugar many people sprinkle over their strawberries.
The UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition are currently in the process of reviewing all the evidence on carbohydrates, including sugars, and health. We await their findings.
Related information:
Response to article by Basu in PLoS ONE
Response to article by InterAct Consortium in Diabetologia
References
* European Food Safety Authority (2010) Scientific Opinion on dietary reference values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre The EFSA Journal 8(3) 1462.* FAO Rome (1998) Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper No 66.* Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (FLR) (SI 1996 No. 1499) (as amended) * Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (2002) Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients) The National Academies Press, Washington.* Malhotra A (2013) The dietary advice on added sugar needs emergency surgery. BMJ
346: f3199* World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization (2003) Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. WHO Technical Report Series 916. WHO Geneva, Switzerland. Media inquiries: Tel> 020 7189 8301 Email> [email protected]
Sugar Nutrition UK is an association principally funded by UK sugar manufacturers and is involved in promoting nutrition research and raising awareness among academics, health professionals, the media and the public about sugars and their role in health.