How much sugar should humans be consuming per day?

Question

The place on nutritional information where it says sugar under fiber. It doesn't give a percent and I assume that's because we shouldn't be consuming excessive amounts of it, but I was wondering how much is too much?

Answer 1

According to the World Health Organization, no more than 10 percent of calories should come from added sweeteners. This advice is in line with the long-standing recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid, called for a maximum of 12 teaspoons of sugar (48 grams) in a 2,200-calorie diet, which translates to roughly 9 percent of daily calories.
In a diet composed of 2,000 daily calories, that would amount to about 200 calories, or 50 grams of sugar. Now you have another reason to check nutrition labels. Thanks to them, it's easy to find out the sugar content of common foods from candy bars to breakfast cereals. Those labels are definitely worth a read because the numbers can be surprising: A single bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats contains three teaspoons (12 grams) of sugar; some raisin bran contains 20 grams; a 32-ounce sports drink can contain 19 teaspoons (76 grams) of sugar, and a 20-ounce Fruitopia fruit drink can pack nearly 18 teaspoons (71 grams) of sugar -- nearly one and a half times as much as you should have in one day.
Nutrition experts agree that too much sugar is unhealthy. Unfortunately, they can't agree on how much is too much. Under pressure from the sugar industry, some health agencies have backed down on long-established guidelines. The new guidelines, released in 2005, don't offer specific recommendations for sugar, and the government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans merely states that sugar should be used "in moderation."

Answer 2

There is no minimum intake set for healthy people by the Federal Gov't (like there is for Vit. A or Iron). If you are having trouble w/ weight or metabolic issues (diabetes, for example), then ANY is too much.

If you are otherwise healthy and exercise, moderate sugar intake will probably not bother you.

But I'm guessing since you are even asking the question, we are in the "if you have to ask you can't afford it" section.... :-) Try using sugar subs like Splenda or Equal, drink non-sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and watch hidden sugars in theings like breakfast cereals, snacks, ketchup, sports drinks (glucose is a sugar), and breadings (like at Chick-fil-A).

Answer 3

I don't believe that sugar is a necessary nutrient ... and it definitely would be wise to cut it out as much as possible.