A new guideline from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults and children should reduce their daily sugar intake to less than 10 percent of their overall calories, with additional health benefits realized if sugar intake was limited to under 5 percent.
“We have solid evidence that keeping intake of free sugars to less than 10 percent of total energy intake reduces the risk of overweight, obesity and tooth decay,” says Dr. Francesco Branca, director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition for Health and Development. “Making policy changes to support this will be key if countries are to live up to their commitments to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases.”