Anti-sugar messages could be misleading: study


Tuesday, 19 July, 2016

Focusing health messages too heavily on sugar may mislead consumers on the need to reduce overall kilojoules, research has concluded.

Scientists from the University of Glasgow looked at data from 132,479 people from across the UK, who completed online diet questionnaires as well as having their measurements taken at a clinic. Of those taking part, 66% of the men and 52% of the women were overweight or obese.

The researchers concluded from the study that fat — not sugar — made the biggest contribution to the overall kilojoule intake of the individuals studied, with the strongest predictors of body mass index (BMI) being overall kilojoules and kilojoules from fat. Significantly, compared with normal weight people, overweight/obese people obtained a higher proportion of their kilojoules from fat, but a lower proportion from sugar.

The study’s findings published in the International Journal of Epidemiology emphasise that the critical factor in the current global obesity epidemic is the overall kilojoule intake consumed by individuals, and evidence suggests if people focus on reducing one type of food, they simply compensate by eating more of another type (called the ‘sugar-fat seesaw’), rather than reducing their overall kilojoules.

Jill Pell, director of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, and co-lead author, said: “If focusing attention on sugar results in people compensating by eating more crisps then we will fail to combat obesity.”

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