According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over one-third of the adult population in the U.S. is obese. This comes out to around 78.6 million people, all of which are at much higher risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and stroke. Because of these high risk factors, it’s believed that obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the U.S. This also means that there are millions of people who should be taking active steps to reduce their body weight if they aren’t doing so already. Unfortunately, losing large amounts of weight can be an incredibly daunting task – so daunting, in fact, that it can prevent people from even making an attempt. However, a new study published this week in the medical journal Cell Metabolism could give many the hope they need to at least get started on the path to weight loss.

5 Percent Weight Loss is “Biggest Bang for Your Buck”

The clinical trial, conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, involved a sample of 40 obese individuals. All of the test subjects had signs of insulin resistance, a condition in which cells in the body do not respond normally to insulin. Insulin resistance can cause blood sugar to increase, and if left untreated, can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomly put into four groups: those who would maintain their body weight, those who would lose 5 percent of their body weight, those who would lose 10 percent, and those who would lose 15. Weight loss was achieved by going on a low-calorie diet.

Overall, it was found that the people who lost just 5 percent of their body weight saw significant improvements in their insulin sensitivity, heart rate, blood pressure and triglyceride concentrations. Those who lost more weight had further improvements in cell function and insulin sensitivity, but the acceleration of progress slows after the first 5 percent. As principal investigator for the study, Samuel Klein, told the Washington University magazine, “Our findings demonstrate that you get the biggest bang for your buck with 5 percent weight loss.”

Good News for Those Struggling to Get Started

Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of about 30 or greater. People who are obese often assume that they’ll need to lose an incredible amount of weight to be healthy. There are countless weight loss stories in the media of people losing 100-200 pounds, not to mention endless weight loss products that promise crazy results, and shows like The Biggest Loser promoting massive weight loss. And while it’s true that getting down to a healthy BMI and keeping off the extra weight will no doubt allow any obese person to live a healthier life, this study shows that getting healthy may not require huge lifestyle overhauls in order to start seeing some benefits.

For example, an obese person who weighs 300 pounds would only need to lose 15 pounds and keep it off to significantly reduce their risk for diabetes and other medical conditions. While 15 pounds is not insignificant or necessarily easy to lose, it’s still much more attainable, realistic and less daunting than 50 or 100 pounds. If a person has a BMI of 30 but only weighs 175 pounds, a drop of just 9 pounds could allow them to reduce their risk. Not to mention, once you’ve kept off those first 10 or 15 pounds, it can become much easier to continue losing weight and get down to a healthy BMI.

5 Percent of Body Weight: The Bottom Line

Anybody who’s obese knows they need to lose weight to get healthy. But taking the first step can be the most difficult part, especially if unattainable goals are being set. This study goes to show that even a little bit of diet and exercise could go a long way toward living a much healthier life. If you’re unsure whether or not you could be considered obese, check out this Body Mass Index Calculator from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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There are many factors that come into play when considering why you or someone you know may be overweight. Unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking or not getting enough sleep can contribute to a high body weight, while medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure can enable obesity as well. Of course, the most well-known factors for maintaining a healthy body weight involve getting enough exercise and regularly consuming a healthy diet. Apart from all of these, however, there’s one factor that is often overlooked when it comes to weight loss: the brain. Although it’s not widely understood, mental health issues such as depression have been linked to weight gain. This causes some to ask: could it be possible that the opposite is true as well? In other words, is a positive, in-the-moment mental outlook linked to lower body weight? A new study says it’s possible.

Mindful People Have Lower Body Weights

According to the new study, published last month in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, mindfulness could play a large role in weight loss. Due to the evolutionary history of humans, the researchers conducting the study believe that the brain directs us to eat as much as we can. This is due to a deep concern that we may not know when we’ll be eating next. Because early humans exerted so much energy hunting, our brains are also designed to encourage rest when possible, which causes us to often feel averse to exercise. What this all boils down to, researchers say, is that we must mentally fight our basic instincts in order to eat healthier and exercise more. Mindfulness, living in the moment, and paying close attention to our bodies’ signals can help prevent becoming overweight.

To test this hypothesis, researchers studied 394 people with a median age of 47. These participants were given a survey known as the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, which contains 15 statements such as “I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until some time later,” or “I forget a person’s name almost as soon as I’ve been told it for the first time.” Participants answered each statement using a number 1 through 6, where 1 means “almost always” and 6 means “almost never.” After the data was collected, researchers found that people who scored lowly on this test were 34 percent more likely to be obese, in addition to having an average of one pound more belly fat than those who scored highly.

How Can You Become More Mindful?

When it comes to your diet, you can increase your mindfulness by simply taking a moment to listen to your body before indulging in something like cake, candy or fast food. You’ll probably find that, many times, you do indeed want to eat the unhealthy food you’ve been presented. However, taking a second to ask yourself why you’re choosing to eat unhealthily may make you realize that you actually don’t want to consume the cake, candy, soda or whatever the poor diet choice may be. Just taking a brief moment to consider the impetus behind your impulses may go a long way towards helping you become more mindful, regardless of the outcome. And the more mindful you become, the better chances you’ll have of making the right decisions in the future.

The three main tenets of mindfulness are self awareness, emotion regulation and attention control. Improving these aspects may not only help you watch your waistline, but they could also positively affect personal relationships, decision-making, attitude and many other facets of your life. The path toward becoming more mindful can begin by simply starting to meditate every now and then.

Mindfulness: The Bottom Line

While this study was small, it simply makes sense that being more mindful would be linked to eating more healthily. Taking a moment before impulse eating to try controlling your behavior could go a long way toward eliminating the less healthy foods in your diet. Meditating and analyzing the reasons behind poor lifestyle choices could also set you on the path toward correcting them.

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It’s a situation almost everybody has found themselves in at one time or another: you have a stressful day at work, you go home, collapse on the couch, and reach for the ice cream. Or potato chips. Or cookies. You end up eating most – if not all – of the pint/bag/box. If you’re trying to maintain a healthy diet, you’ve just obliterated any chance of meeting your daily goal. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as “stress eating,” “emotional eating” or, more colloquially, “eating your feelings,” is a real issue that’s been fairly widely studied. Most studies have shown that the stress hormone cortisol is responsible for stress eating. However, a new study published in the journal Neuron suggests that the problem is actually quite a bit more complicated. It also suggests that stress can lead to an overall reduction in self-regulatory behavior, which can affect more than just food choices.

The Brain Prefers Immediate Rewards When Stressed

For the new study, researchers from the University of Zurich found 51 young adult males who reported to exercise regularly and eat healthy diets, but also reported to enjoy junk food at times. Women were not included in the study due to cortisol’s tendency to interact with estrogen, which makes the study more difficult for researchers to control. The men were asked to rate images of 180 different food items by taste, healthiness and overall appeal. Twenty-nine men were then selected randomly from the original group to undergo a three-minute “stress induction procedure,” which involved immersing one hand in an ice bath while being monitored and videotaped. Then, all of the men were put in fMRI scanners, which monitors blood flow changes in the brain. Saliva samples were also taken during the course of the study to measure cortisol levels.

All 51 study participants underwent a seven-minute decision trial, in which the men were asked to choose between pairs of foods they had rated earlier. It was found that those who underwent the stress induction were much more likely to choose foods that they had originally deemed tastier rather than a more healthy alternative. Researchers noted that stress seemed to amplify the desire for short-term rewards while simultaneously impairing the influence of a region of the brain that contributes to self-control. Basically, stress can affect the brain in such a way that it becomes more difficult to resist the temptations of your favorite unhealthy foods.

A Vicious Cycle

While this study sheds light on how and why stress eating occurs, most people are well aware of the basic principle that stress can lead to poor diet. But isn’t it also possible that poor diet can lead to stress? Unfortunately, yes. According to the Stress Management Society in the UK, foods that can aggravate stress or anxiety include:

• Sugar
• Coffee
• Tea
• Energy Drinks
• Butter and cheese
• Alcohol
• Soda and other soft drinks
• Fast food
• Shellfish
• Coconut oil
• Almonds, macadamias and other nuts

So, it’s important to remember that your diet can impact your stress levels just as much as your stress levels can impact your diet.

Stress Eating: The Bottom Line

So how can a person avoid the vicious cycle of stress eating? Well, the researchers for this new study recommend one simple tactic: don’t keep unhealthy foods in your house. If you know that you tend to grab sugary, fatty snacks after a long day at work, you’ll be far less likely to eat them if they simply aren’t in your vicinity. Avoiding stress eating in the workplace can be significantly more difficult, but one of the best overall strategies is to just try reducing stress in your life as much as possible.

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When it comes to treating obesity, health professionals often stick to two main points: diet and exercise. And while those are indeed the two most healthy and effective strategies for reducing body weight, it’s not always best to use the same treatments for any person who has a certain condition. For instance, there are seven different types of colorectal cancer, and no doctor would ever think about starting a treatment plan before determining exactly which version of cancer a person has.

With this idea in mind, researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK gathered health data from over 4,000 obese patients. They examined each person’s age, ethnicity, gender, lifestyle habits, and other health conditions to see whether or not obese individuals could be categorized based on general behavioral characteristics.

Six Categories of Obesity

According to the new study, there are six types of people who commonly suffer from obesity. Treating each group differently and understanding the reasons why they each end up being overweight could help develop more effective treatment and prevention methods. The six groups include:

1. Middle-aged people with mental health concerns – This group was mostly made up of women who suffered from depression, anxiety, insomnia or fatigue, or had other mental health issues. Interestingly, these individuals tended to exercise regularly and had low alcohol consumption.
2. Young men who drink heavily – Despite their alcohol consumption, these men reported engaging in healthy behaviors such as regular walking, belonging to a gym, and avoiding smoking.
3. Young, otherwise healthy women – Although obese, these women tended to engage in some healthy behaviors such as light exercise and avoiding smoking.
4. Older individuals with chronic conditions – This group is made up of older people who suffer from health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and osteoarthritis. Interestingly, this group rarely suffered from depression or anxiety.
5. People with poor overall health – Individuals in this group had many chronic health problems, high levels of fatigue or pain, and the highest BMI overall. They also tended to have more financial troubles or lower incomes.
6. Older, healthy adults – This group tended to be more affluent and did take part in some healthy behaviors. At the same time, they also seemed to suffer from hypertension and over-consumption of alcohol.

Researchers state that these different groups could be used to create treatment plans that are more relevant to each patient’s needs. For example, people in the middle-aged group may benefit from mental health counseling, while it might help younger men to take part in alcohol reduction programs.

Limitations of the Study

While this study could potentially help advance obesity understanding, it does have some limitations. First of all, it was not determined that lifestyle factors such as drinking or poor mental health were actually causing obesity in these individuals. Also, it’s entirely possible that there are many more than just six different types of obesity. Researchers concede that the group types may have ended up being different had the study been conducted in the U.S., where obesity rates are higher.

Obesity Types: The Bottom Line

While there still may be a long way to go, the fundamental idea of this study is important: not all obesity patients are the same. Individual people can likely benefit from different obesity treatments, and those treatments may have to include counseling or sleep testing. Until we know more, however, the most fundamental steps – diet and exercise – won’t change.

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For women over 40, bone health is a serous concern. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 80 percent of the 10 million Americans who suffer from osteoporosis are female. Also, around half of all women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis at some point. It’s thought that bone loss is prevalent in older women due to a menopausal decrease in estrogen, which is known to protect bone health. Bone problems are so common that the chances of an older woman breaking her hip are equal to her risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancer combined. It’s estimated that 1.5 million people, both men and women, suffer a fracture every year due to weak bones. The good news is that there are many steps that can be taken to promote bone health. The bad news is that older women who are also trying to lose weight could have a harder time preventing bone loss.

New Report Says Bone Loss Tied to Weight Loss

A new study appearing in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism involved 424 people whose ages ranged from 30 to 70. Around 60 percent of the participants were women, and all of them were considered overweight or obese when the study began. The men and women were randomly assigned to one of four different low-calorie diets in order to lose weight. To test the link between weight loss and bone loss, researchers measured the bone density of each participant’s hip and spine over the two-year period of dieting. By the end of the study, the men and women had lost 8 percent and 6.4 percent of their original body weight, respectively.

Although the men and women both lost a similar amount of weight, their bone densities ended up reacting in completely different ways. The women experienced bone density loss at the hip and spine while men experienced no change an the hip and an actual increase in spine density. Menopausal women who primarily lost belly fat were particularly prone to losing bone density. Loss of lean muscle mass was also linked to a drop in bone density. While women only lost 1 to 2 percent of their bone density during the study, the results may nonetheless be a catalyst for future research.

Preventing Bone Loss

For young women, promoting bone health means getting plenty of exercise, eating a well-balanced diet high in calcium and vitamin D, and avoiding smoking and drinking. High-impact, weight-bearing activities such as running, tennis, climbing stairs, dancing and jumping rope can be very effective. Other exercises that promote muscle strengthening, balance and posture can also help prevent bone issues later in life.

For menopausal or post-menopausal women, bone loss can be treated by taking certain medications or estrogen under a doctor’s supervision. Women at this age can also benefit from getting enough calcium and vitamin D. The easiest ways to get these is to consume dairy products, get a bit of sunlight (not too much) and take supplements. It should be noted, however, that milk in particular has not always proven to be beneficial for bone health.

Bone Health and Weight Loss: The Bottom Line

If you’re a menopausal woman who’s trying to lose weight, you should take whatever steps are necessary to prevent bone loss while doing so. Simply moving part of your exercise routine outdoors, continuing to eat some dairy products, and taking vitamin D supplements may help avoid losing bone density while you’re busy shedding pounds of fat.

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Going on a diet doesn’t necessarily require having a specific, regimented eating plan that’s devised by a health professional – but it can help. Every year, thousands of Americans enter into programs like Weight Watchers in order to take out some of the planning and guesswork involved in losing weight. Many people also try plans often described as “fad” diets such as the Atkins and South Beach diets. Unfortunately, not all of these diet plans are equally effective for everybody. How can you know which diet will work best for you?

Back in January, U.S. News & World Report ranked many different diet plans in terms of effectiveness for weight loss, heart health, diabetes prevention, and several other factors. Now, another study dealing with commercial diet plans has been published in an attempt to help dieters decide.

Jenny Craig Comes Out On Top

The new study, appearing this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, involved a meta-analysis of 4,212 previous studies that assessed the effectiveness of various diet plans. Interestingly, it was found that only 45 of these studies met the “gold scientific standard.” This means that the majority of studies conducted regarding diet plans have not randomly assigned test subjects to different programs and tracked their weight over time. In other words, most of the studies have not been conducted in a way that’s proven to be useful for gleaning valuable information and helping consumers make smart choices.

Nevertheless, researchers used the studies to rank the effectiveness of 11 commercial diet plans. Overall, it was found that Jenny Craig users lost 4.9 percent more weight after 12 months than a control group made up of people that only received dietary education. Weight Watchers users lost 2.6 percent more weight than the control group. Despite it being the most effective, only 13 percent of the $2.5 billion spent on weight loss programs in America goes to Jenny Craig. Forty-five percent of that money goes to Weight Watchers, which could be due to its relatively lower cost.

Other commercial programs such as Nutrisystem saw users making small gains, but nothing near as significant as the top performers. Diet plans from Medifast and Optifast delivered great results initially, but users ended up gaining much of the weight back at the end of 12 months. One program called Health Management Resources saw users lose 13.2 percent more weight than the control group, but they also suffered serious side effects such as constipation and gallstones.

Should Doctors Treat Obesity With Commercial Diet Plans?

In an editorial accompanying the study, researchers argue that diet plans such as Weight Watchers could be more effective for treating obesity than the prepackaged meals, supplements or behavioral therapy that are often relied on. It makes sense, as the number of people with obesity is continually going up and the number of doctors who actually have weight loss training isn’t necessarily as high as you’d think. In fact, some states are already referring Medicaid patients to Weight Watchers.

Diet Plans: The Bottom Line

The first thing that this study tells us is that more dedicated research needs to be done before diet plans can be definitively ranked. Also, the study only examined commercial diet plans, so it might be possible that a vegetarian diet or Mediterranean diet could be just as effective – if not moreso – than Jenny Craig. Either way, those who are looking to start a weight loss program can rest easy knowing that Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers have been at least fairly effective for many people.

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When it comes to the health of children in America, it seems as though there hasn’t been much good news lately. According to the CDC, around 12.7 million children aged 2 to 19 were obese in 2012. Research from last year indicates that overweight children as young as preschool age may already exhibit risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar. As recently as this week, it was reported that the vast majority of parents don’t recognize when their child is overweight or obese. Although that study occurred in the UK, it’s likely that similar trends could be occuring in America.

It’s common knowledge that low-quality food, especially pizza, plays a role in childhood obesity. Luckily, a new study provides a break from the bad news: kids are eating less fast food.

Calories Consumed Trends Downward

The new research, appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, used data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess the fast food eating habits of children in the U.S. Overall, it was found that the average amount of fast food calories consumed by children aged 4 to 19 fell by 110 between 2003 and 2010. The percentage of children who eat at a fast food restaurant on any given day dropped from 39 percent to 33 percent during the same timeframe. Calories consumed from chicken, pizza and burger fast food restaurants were down, while sandwich and Mexican fast food places saw a steady amount of consumption.

Researchers state that the findings echo similar eating trends that have been observed in adults. However, it’s unclear at this time whether the downturn is due to consumers making more informed choices or to fast food restaurants cutting calories and offering smaller portion sizes. Researchers did find that people have generally been eating less during each sitting, which means that fast food menu changes could be having more of an effect than previously thought.

Good News With Some Caveats

Of course, just because kids are eating less fast food doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re any healthier. The study did not acknowledge the quality of the calories that were eaten, meaning that children could still end up suffering plenty of negative health effects from fast food despite eating less of it overall. Indeed, researchers pointed out that a decrease in calorie consumption would not be cause for celebration if kids were still getting high levels of sodium, refined grains and added sugar. If kids are replacing the lost fast food calories with even unhealthier snacks, they might actually end up worse off.

Children and Fast Food: The Bottom Line

Decreasing the amount of fast food your child eats is essential for allowing them to maintain a healthy weight. Also, too much fast food has been linked to poorer grades. While the decrease seen over the past few years is good news, parents must make sure that children aren’t replacing those calories with foods that are just as bad.

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The popularity of cooking shows in the U.S. cannot be denied. According to a 2010 survey from Harris Interactive, 50 percent of Americans watch cooking shows on television either very often or at least occasionally. Also, 57 percent of those surveyed stated that they’ve purchased specific foods as a direct result of something seen on a cooking program. Newer research says the number of viewers could actually be much higher.

While some TV recipes can indeed be considered healthy, many famous chefs probably wouldn’t describe themselves as “health food specialists.” For example, Paula Deen, one of the most well-known TV chefs, is infamous for the high butter content in recipes like Paula’s Fried Butter Balls. At the same time, cooking from home instead of eating out has generally proven to be healthier overall. So are cooking shows good or bad for our waistlines?

Study Links Cooking Shows With Weight Gain

A new study, appearing in the journal Appetite, assessed the eating and television habits of 501 women aged 20 to 35. All of the study participants had their heights and weights measured in order to calculate their BMIs. Overall, it was found that women who watch cooking shows and often cook from scratch at home weighed an average of 11 pounds more than women who watch cooking shows but do not cook much from scratch. As the study puts it, the “doers” weighed an average of 164 pounds, while the “viewers” weighed an average of 153 pounds. Although the women also got cooking inspiration from YouTube, magazines, newspapers, dietitians, cooking blogs and other websites, no source of cooking information was found to be more influential and potentially fattening than TV cooking shows.

These findings go against the typical notion that cooking at home is healthier than going out or ordering food. At the same time, it must be understood that many cooking shows do not necessarily promise that their recipes will be healthy. Viewers must take into account that these shows are largely for entertainment – just because a respected chef uses three sticks of butter in a recipe on a TV show does not mean it’s an accepted practice to do so on a regular basis.

Eating Healthier at Home

So, if cooking at home doesn’t guarantee healthy preparation, would it be better to eat out more often? The answer is no, but it could take some changes in your cooking habits to ensure that at-home meals are as healthy as they could be. Two main things to look out for when preparing meals at home are portion size and ingredients. When it comes to specific ingredients, there are plenty of healthy substitutions that can be made. For example, if a recipe calls for heavy cream, you can try substituting evaporated skim milk or a combination of low-fat yogurt and low-fat, unsalted cottage cheese. For tons of great ideas about healthy food preparation, check out the AMA’s Healthy Cooking tips.

Cooking Shows: The Bottom Line

This study shows a link between watching cooking shows and cooking unhealthier meals. However, it does not prove that watching cooking shows directly causes a person to gain weight. Nevertheless, it might be best for anybody who enjoys watching cooking shows to refrain from making the programs’ featured recipes on a regular basis.

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Abdominal obesity has reached near-epidemic levels in America. Just over 54 percent of the U.S. population now has abdominal obesity, which is up from 46.4 percent around the turn of the millennium. The average American’s waist size now measures 38.8 inches. Besides simple cosmetic issues, though, too much belly fat comes with the risk of more serious health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, and early death.

Factors that contribute to an expanding waistline often include stress, poor sleep habits, hormonal imbalances and certain medications. Of course, the biggest factors usually involve poor diet and lack of exercise. Unfortunately, diet soda, intended to be a healthier alternative to a very unhealthy product, may actually be contributing to the epidemic of belly fat in older adults.

More Diet Soda, More Belly Fat

Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio analyzed health information submitted by 749 Americans over a period of nearly 10 years. All study participants were over the age of 65. Researchers noted several different lifestyle habits and measurements of each person, including exercise routines, diet, weight, height and waist circumference. Researchers then adjusted data considering variables such as age, physical activity and smoking habits to get the most accurate correlation possible. When the study was complete, the gathered data was actually pretty surprising:

• The waistlines of people who drank no diet soda at all increased by 0.8 inches.
• The waistlines of people who drank diet soda occasionally grew by 1.83 inches.
• The waislines of daily diet soda drinkers increased by 3.16 inches.

The results are troubling because belly fat can be more dangerous than fat in other areas of the body. Known as visceral fat, belly fat can lead to inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and again, type 2 diabetes. It’s also slightly more difficult to get rid of.

Diet Soda Might Not Be the Culprit

This study demonstrates a link between diet soda and belly fat, but it might not represent causation. While it’s long been thought that artificial sweeteners can lead to weight gain, scientists haven’t definitively proven this to be true. Instead, it’s possible that drinking a diet version of a product allows people to feel as if eating extra calories from other sources will do less harm. It’s also possible that diet soda drinkers have bigger waistlines because they were gaining weight anyway and made the decision to try diet products. Lastly, diet soda is often consumed along with less healthy items such as fast food and pizza, which could be causing the majority of the weight gain.

Diet Soda and Belly Fat: The Bottom Line

If you’re gaining weight in your midsection and also drink diet soda, this study suggests that cutting down on soda altogether may be your best bet. If you actively want to cut down on your waistline, consider just how much exercise it takes to counteract the effects of one soft drink. Then you’ll want to develop a diet and exercise plan that includes both cardio and light weightlifting.

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Simply put, sugar is one of the least healthy food items you can possibly consume, and it’s taking it’s toll on the health of thousands of Americans. While it’s not the only contributing factor, sugar intake is partly responsible for 29.1 million diagnosed and undiagnosed cases of diabetes in the U.S. That’s 9.3 percent of the entire population. Also, sugar intake can be partly blamed for the whopping 78.6 million people who are considered obese in America. It’s commonly accepted that sugar intake can be somewhat responsible for oral problems as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 50 percent of children aged 12 to 15 have experienced tooth decay. These stats make the U.S. look bad, but similar health trends are occurring all around the world. Now, the World Health Organization has called on governments worldwide to do whatever they can to reduce sugar intake levels.

Reducing Daily Sugar Intake To Less Than 10 Percent

According to a press release published this week by the WHO, cutting daily sugar intake down to 10 percent of a person’s total energy intake will go a long way toward reducing obesity, tooth decay and other health risks. They also suggest going as low as five percent, or six teaspoons, daily to get the most health benefit. The sugars addressed in the announcement include glucose, fructose, sucrose and table sugar. These sugars are often found in honey, syrup and fruit juice, as well as many different processed foods. The sugars found in fresh vegetables and fruits are not included in the types of sugars that need to be avoided.

The WHO points to several studies that show a relationship between sugar intake and body weight. Children are especially at risk when it comes to the consumption of sugary drinks. It’s been proven that sugar-sweetened drinks such as soda can necessitate a ton of exercise to counteract the negative health effects – more exercise than many American children are likely getting.

The Problem of Hidden Sugars

Cutting daily sugar intake down to 10 percent might seem like a fairly easy thing to do, but it’s made much more difficult by the fact that sugar is added to so much of the food that we eat. The WHO points out that one tablespoon of ketchup, a food that might not typically be associated with sugar, can contain around 10 teaspoons of added sugar. As Time points out, hidden sugars can add up far more quickly than one would expect. For example, an snack consisting of a doughnut and a vanilla latte can account for 201 sugar calories, putting a person just over the 10 percent limit assuming they’re eating a 2,000-calorie diet. In order to stay under the limit, a person would have to eat no more sugar throughout the entire day – a highly unlikely scenario.

Sugar Intake: The Bottom Line

Sugar is everywhere in America. It’s in our bread, salad dressings, and many of the drinks we consume every day. In order to avoid hidden sugars and get down to the 10 percent sugar intake level suggested by the WHO, it will take some seriously dedicated label-reading and calorie counting every single day. For those that cannot be that diligent, it’s best to simply cut out the foods you eat that contain the most sugar: sweetened drinks, desert items and other processed food. If you need help, check out some strategies for curbing your soda consumption.

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