Cut down on sugar: WHO

NEW guidelines from the World Health Organization recommend people of all ages reduce ‘free sugar' intake to less than 10 percent of daily energy intakes and warn of the health risks of hidden sweeteners.

"We have solid evidence that keeping intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake reduces the risk of overweight, obesity and tooth decay," said Dr Francesco Branca, Director of WHO's Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, of the new guidelines, published Wednesday.

The term free sugar refers to the naturally occurring sugar in honey and fruit juice as well as processed sugars like fructose, sucrose and of course table sugar.

WHO guidelines actually recommend that both children and adults attempt to cut free sugar intake to under 5 percent or no more than 25g a day but also accept that due to the fact that much of the sugar consumed daily is hidden in foodstuffs as a preservative or flavoring, reducing intake below 10% could prove difficult.

However the benefits are clear. Scientific evidence shows that adults who consume less free sugar have a lower body weight and that the same sugars are linked to childhood obesity and tooth decay.