For the first time in the history of the organization, the American Heart Association (AHA) has published a set of guidelines related to sugar consumption. The guidelines appear in an August 2009 edition of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. They address the amount of added sugar to the America diet. Currently, the average American diet consists of nearly 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, roughly equivalent to 355 calories. The AHA guidelines suggest that women not consume more than 6 teaspoons (approximately 25 grams equivalent to 100 calories) of added sugar per day while men not consume more than 9 teaspoons (approximately 37.5 grams equivalent to 150 calories) of added sugar per day.

While most people are familiar with added sugar as the white table sugar (sucrose) that gets scooped into coffee, one problem with adherence to these guidelines is the lack of general knowledge about what else constitutes “added sugar.” Some of the common added sugars include: corn syrup, dextrose, corn sweetener, maltose, malt syrup, glucose, molasses, sucrose, syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. These ingredients are commonly found in candies, cakes, cookies, and soft drinks. Other sugars, the naturally occurring ones such as fructose and lactose, can be found in fruit and dairy products, respectively.

It has been well documented and at this point many general consumers are aware of the empty calories (calories that offer very limited amount of nutrient value) associated with added sugar. What may not be as well-known is the fact that added sugar can be linked to heart disease. “Although added sugar is not directly linked to heart disease, it is associated with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and high levels of C-reactive protein, which has been linked to oxidative stress and inflammation,” said Linda Van Horn, a registered dietitian and chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee. When you compare common foods containing added sugar with naturally occurring sugary foods such as fruits or dairy products, the nutritional value of those latter foods is evident in the fact that they contain calcium, protein, vitamin D, and phytonutrients.

Sugar is a primary preservative and can be found in surprising quantities in what most would presume are non-sugary foods. For instance, most packages of macaroni and cheese contain more than 15% sugar, which explains why it can stay on the shelf for two years and still be edible and why kids like it. Simple sugars combine with processed carbohydrates encourage hyperinsulinemia which is associated with fat storage and increased risk for obesity and then consequently diabetes.