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The average American consumes about 22 teaspoons (355 calories) of added sugar a day, according to a report released yesterday by the American Heart Association (AHA). That amount should be cut down to a maximum of six teaspoons (100 calories) a day for women and nine teaspoons (150 calories) for men, the group recommends.

"For the first time we've created specific recommendations about the amount of sugars that can be consumed in a heart-healthy diet," lead report author Rachel Johnson, of the University of Vermont in Burlington, told Reuters.

A diet high in added sugar—the sort that makes up the sanguine syrups in sodas and saccharine snacks, rather than the natural sugars found, for instance, in whole fruits—could lead to obesity and cardiovascular disease, as well as diabetes and a host of other illnesses, according to the research compiled by the American Heart Association. And if Americans slim down, Johnson and her colleagues note, the country could shed billions of dollars in health care costs.

The biggest cloying culprit in the U.S. is soft drinks, which account for a third of the added sugars people consume. Next on the list are candies and sugar itself (16 percent) and cakes, cookies and pies (13 percent).

The report also notes that observational research has linked a high-sugar diet with one that's also low in important nutrients.

"Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories," Johnson said in a prepared statement.

For its part, the industry group the Sugar Association did not see a sweet side to the report, issuing a statement that said, "Very few of the cited references by the AHA are directly related to sugars and heart health impacts," Reuters reports.

Diet drinks and artificial sweeteners might not hold the answer for those with a sweet tooth either, as studies have linked them to increased consumption and weight gain.

The Wall Street Journal's health blog has a handy list for locating the extra sugar in your daily diet.

Image courtesy of Uwe Hermann via Flickr

4 Comments

1. 1. sxzmama 02:31 PM 8/25/09

   Wow! This is sooo true! Finally there is "scientific evidence" that more than 6-9 tsp of sugar a day is VERY unhealthy! But in reality how in the world are we all going to cut out the soda pop and candy from our diets? Yes it's a personal choice, but I don't see Americans doing this on their own wil. What if stores stopped selling so much junk food? What if they stopped putting the candy bars right by the check out, and raised the price on soda? America doesn't really want to be healthy. And why? Because it always about the money. The sugar companies and the soda companies would have a FIT!!!! Too sad.

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2. 2. jon w 08:24 PM 8/25/09

   so when will we stop seeing the AHA "heart healthy" stamp on fat free cocoa puffs?

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3. 3. pgtruspace 09:55 PM 8/25/09

   I want to know just who in the hell is eating my share? as I can't stand to consume that much sweetness.

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4. 4. edwardtuner 04:13 AM 6/3/10

   Stevia has 0 calories but has actions very similar to several currently used medications. It stimulates the release of insulin and normalizes the response to glucose, especially in type 2 diabetes. Other sweetners like Aspartame or Splenda have additives in them that are very bad for your health and can cause various diseases. I myself have been using Cid Botanicals Stevia and so far very satisfied with it. Check out at www.cidbotanicals.com
   

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