2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Recommendation for Added Sugars Intake: Agenda Based, Not Science Based

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sugar Association issued the following statement in response to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

Everyone recognizes it is important for Americans to eat healthy diets within caloric needs but strong scientific evidence should support all dietary recommendations. Therefore, the Sugar Association is disappointed that despite a lack of scientific evidence, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend an intake limit or target for "added sugars" of no more than 10 percent of daily calories.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are too important not to get them right. It was our hope the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture would maintain the scientific integrity of the Dietary Guidelines process and reject the "added sugars" recommendations in the controversial 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report that were based on weak science of low evidentiary value.

We maintain these "added sugars" recommendations will not withstand the scrutiny of a quality, impartial evaluation of the full body of scientific evidence. As with past examples of dietary guidance not based on strong scientific evidence, such as eggs, the "added sugars" guidance will eventually be reversed. The lack of scientific rigor in this process has and will continue to result in consumer apathy, distrust and confusion.

We are pleased that Congress recognized the need to ensure consumer trust and maintain the scientific integrity of the Dietary Guidelines by fully funding a mandate that the Institute of Medicine review the entire Dietary Guidelines process. The Sugar Association calls for the development of a standardized scientific process that ensures consistency in the scientific evaluation of all dietary components, which will mitigate dietary guidance based on bias, agendas and beliefs.

SOURCE The Sugar Association