A surprising disconnect between sugar consumption and obesity

A study just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that American consumption of added sugars dipped from 2000 to 2008. We wonder how that information can be correlated with the conventional mantra that added sugar, especially in soda, is the main cause of rampant obesity in America.

The authors, led by a researcher from Emory University s Nutrition and Health Sciences Program, examined data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) alongside data for added-sugar contents from the My Pyramid Equivalents Database provided by the US Department of Agriculture. Over all, Americans intake of caloric sweeteners dropped from over 37 grams per day in 2000 to just below 29 grams per day in 2008. The study authors attribute two thirds of this decrease to a decline in soda consumption, but they also note that the average intake of added sugars still exceeds the recommended limits.

Given that the consumption of added sugars specifically those in soda is typically blamed for a large chunk of the obesity epidemic, ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross points out the apparent disconnect between lowered sugar intake and the rising obesity rate over that same period. Clearly, he says, the causes of the obesity epidemic are a lot more complex than a single factor like sugar consumption. Further, I remain confused about why there should be any difference in health effects between added sugar and sugar that is natural to the food product.

ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan agrees. People simply need a culprit, she says. And sugar especially in soda is an easy target. Unfortunately, if the rising incidence of obesity is any indication, aiming at that target alone won t accomplish much.