Sweet Surrender: Sugar Curbs Urged

By RON WINSLOW and SHIRLEY S. WANG

Sergio Capursi/The Wall Street Journal

Most women should limit sugar intake to 100 calories, or six teaspoons, a day. Men should limit their consumption to 150 calories. That won’t be easy. A 12-ounce can of cola has 130 calories, or eight teaspoons.

The American Heart Association is taking aim at the nation's sweet tooth, urging consumers to significantly cut back on the amount of sugar they get from such foods as soft drinks, cookies and ice cream.

In a scientific statement issued Monday, the organization says most women should limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; for men, the recommendation is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons.

The recommendations are likely to prove challenging for many consumers to meet. Just one 12-ounce can of cola has about 130 calories, or eight teaspoons of sugar.

Data gathered during a national nutrition survey between 2001 and 2004 suggest that Americans consume on average 355 calories, or more than 22 teaspoons, of sugar a day.

"We're trying to make reasonable recommendations around the amount of sugar in a diet that enables people to achieve or maintain a healthy weight," said Rachel Johnson, associate provost and professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington and lead author of the statement.

As the heart association's statement acknowledges, the science directly linking added sugar consumption to obesity is inconsistent. This in part reflects, the impact of such things as genetics, physical activity and diet have on weight.

The heart association has encouraged consumers to moderate sugar consumption, but the new statement is the first time it has suggested specific limits. The recommendations apply only to what are known as added sugars—those that are added to foods during manufacturing, or by consumers. They don't include sugar that occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, dairy products and other foods.

Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University who wasn't involved with the document, said it was a significant departure from previous recommendations, in part because "nobody has ever said it quite so forcefully."

The statement heightens the battle against foods that many public-health officials say contribute to the higher risk of such problems as diabetes and cardiovascular disease among the nation's overweight and obese consumers. A recent unrelated study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the medical costs associated with treating obesity-related conditions may have reached $147 billion last year, up from $74 billion a decade ago.

Major Sources

The chief sources of added sugar in the diet include soft drinks, candy, desserts such as cakes and cookies, fruit drinks and sweetened dairy products, including ice cream and yogurt, the statement says. Sugar in alcoholic beverages also counts as added sugar, Dr. Johnson said.

Added sugars "offer no nutritional value other than calories to the diet," Dr. Johnson said. "The majority of Americans could reduce their risk of heart disease by achieving healthy weight and the evidence is fairly clear that reducing the amount of sugars can help with that."

While many studies associate increased consumption of soft drinks with higher calorie intake, weight gain and obesity, others have failed to support the connection. Similarly, research investigating added sugar's impact on blood pressure, heightened inflammation and on changes in blood fats called triglycerides is inconclusive. And there are no studies linking the recommended limits to preventing weight gain or promoting weight loss.

Instead, Dr. Johnson and her colleagues on the heart association's nutrition committee based the suggestions on the concept of discretionary calories that are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines called Mypyramid. Discretionary calories are those allotted to a person beyond what are necessary to consume nutrients essential to a healthy diet while still maintaining a proper weight.

Under the Mypyramid guidelines, people on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet have 267 discretionary calories. Active young people on a 3,000-calorie-a-day-diet have 512 discretionary calories.

Related

• Health Blog: How to Figure Out How Much Sugar Is Added to Foods

Dr. Johnson said the committee decided that allocating half of the discretionary calories for added sugar was a proper course. More than that risks displacing necessary nutrients with calories from added sugar, she said.

For a moderately active middle-aged woman on a 1,800 calorie-a-day diet, the recommendations translate to about 100 calories for added sugar. For a sedentary middle-aged man consuming 2,200 calories a day, the allotment is about 150 calories.

Dr. Johnson said the statement doesn't tell people to eliminate sugar from their diets. She does recommend using the allotment to make healthier foods more tasty, such as adding sugar to whole-grain cereal, instead of using it on candy. People who get regular exercise, she said, can consume higher quantities of added sugar.

William Dietz, director of the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the CDC, said the guidelines are reasonable, but he said it may be difficult for the public to understand the recommendation in terms of grams of sugar intake.

'Sugar Burden'

Instead, "I think it's easier to talk to people about what types of foods are likely to contribute to the sugar burden," with sugar-sweetened beverages like soft drinks and fruit juices at the top of the list, he said.

Consuming added sugar in drinks is particularly problematic, he said, because it doesn't make you feel as full as when you eat solid food.

Quillian Haralson, 38, of Waldorf, Md., says he would try to adhere to the recommendations and pay special attention to the sugar intake of his two children.

But, he said, it would be challenging to figure out how much added sugar is in different foods.

Mr. Haralson, a high-school teacher, said he is attentive to his three-year-old son's sugar intake, for instance, but he said he couldn't estimate how much the child is currently consuming.

"That's the sad part; I can't tell you," he said.

Current food labels don't list sugar content in calories or teaspoons and don't distinguish between natural and added sugars, Dr. Johnson said.

—Valerie Bauerlein contributed to this article.

Write to Ron Winslow at ron.winslow@wsj.com and Shirley S. Wang at shirley.wang@wsj.com

The Claim: Some Foods Can Ease Arthritis Pain

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Published: August 24, 2009

THE FACTS

Patients with arthritis are often encouraged to steer clear of all sorts of foods. But few of these diets are supported by any evidence.

In one of the largest analyses of diet and various types of arthritis, researchers looked at data on more than 800 patients from 15 studies. They examined several diets popular among arthritis patients and found that the one that had the greatest effect was a Mediterranean-type diet emphasizing foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, fish and olive oil, while limiting red meat. In 12 weeks, people on the diet reported about 15 percent less pain, but no improvement in physical function or morning stiffness. A vegetarian diet that allowed eggs and dairy products had a similar effect.

In other studies, patients who were given daily capsules of fish oil to take along with their antirheumatic medications saw greater benefits for swollen and tender joints than patients given a placebo, apparently because of the oil’s anti-inflammatory properties.

Meanwhile, vegetables in the nightshade family, like potatoes and tomatoes, have long been said to contribute to arthritis pain. Some researchers have speculated that a group of compounds in the vegetables called alkaloids might worsen inflammation in sensitive people. But so far no solid studies have demonstrated this. Experts say a diet in which suspect foods are gradually removed should help patients identify any problematic foods.

THE BOTTOM LINE

There is some evidence that certain diets may help with arthritis symptoms.

The Claim: Stress Can Make Allergies Worse

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Published: August 17, 2009

THE FACTS

Leif Parsons

This year’s allergy season has not been an easy one, with pollen counts at record highs in several major cities. But for many sufferers, a less stressful life may ease the allergy burden.

In recent years, studies have shown that psychological stress and anxiety — even at slight or moderate levels — can worsen allergy symptoms. Scientists suspect that it has something to do with the way stress affects the immune system, causing elevated levels of compounds that heighten the allergic response and remain unaffected by standard treatments for hay fever, like antihistamines.

One of the most recent and striking studies was published this year by scientists at Ohio State University. On two different days the scientists subjected hay fever sufferers to a series of skin prick tests to measure their responses to allergens, including the size of the wheals they developed. On one day the subjects gave speeches to a panel and then had to solve math questions in their heads. On the other day they had less stressful tasks, like reading magazines.

“Wheal diameters increased after the stressor,” the scientists wrote, “compared to a slight decrease following the control task.”

Even a day after the stressor, the most anxious subjects continued to show severe symptoms, suggesting a lingering response from the anxiety.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies show that psychological stress can heighten and possibly prolong allergic responses.

Brain Is a Co-Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop

Brain Is a Co-Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop

By NATALIE ANGIER

Published: August 18, 2009

Chronic stress changes the brain, but relaxation can change it back.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18angier.html

Tests Begin on Drugs That May Slow Aging

Science

Tests Begin on Drugs That May Slow Aging

By NICHOLAS WADE

Published: August 18, 2009

Excitement among some researchers has picked up with the apparent convergence of lines of inquiry involving genes and restricted diets.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18aging.html

Mercury Found in Every Fish Tested, Scientists Say

By CORNELIA DEAN

Published: August 19, 2009

When government scientists went looking for mercury contamination in fish in 291 streams around the nation, they found it in every fish they tested, the Interior Department said, even in isolated rural waterways. In a statement, the department said that some of the streams tested were affected by mining operations, which can be a source of mercury pollution, so the findings, by scientists at the United States Geological Survey, do not necessarily reflect contamination levels nationwide. But Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the findings underlined the need to act against mercury pollution. Emissions from coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury contamination in the United States. A quarter of the fish studied had mercury levels above safety levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency for people who eat the fish regularly, the Interior Department said.