Limit sugar intake to equivalent of one can of soft drink a day, say advisers

Committee's advice to government recommends that proportion of daily calories from 'free sugar' should be halved to 5%
Soft drinks
Bottles and cans of soft drinks in a supermarket. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

The guideline level of dietary sugar should be slashed by half to the equivalent of one can of fizzy drink a day, according to scientists who advise the government.

People should get no more than 5% of their daily calories from so-called "free sugar", a term that includes table sugar, the sugar added to food and drinks, and that found naturally in fruit juices, syrups and honey, they said.

The advice, to be considered by the Department of Health after a three-month consultation, sets an upper limit on free sugar of around 25g or six teaspoons a day for a healthy woman, and around 35g or seven teaspoons for a man.

Across all ages, people in England consume more than the existing guideline of 10% of calories as sugar, with adolescents consuming far more. On average, adults get around 12% of their daily energy from sugar, and for adolescents the figure rises to more than 15%.

Scientists raised particular concerns about sugary drinks and urged people to minimise the amount they consumed, where possible swapping to healthier alternatives such as water or low-fat milk. Under the proposed guideline, a single can of fizzy drink would contain enough sugar on its own to meet an adult's daily sugar limit.

The recommendation follows a six-year review by the government's scientific advisory committee on nutrition (SACN) of research into the health effects of carbohydrates, which include sugar. The report found that a higher sugar intake was associated with tooth decay and weight gain in children and adults. Being overweight puts people at greater risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer.

"By reducing to 5% you reduce the risk of all those things to what, from a scientific perspective, would be acceptable. "The challenge is to get there," said Ian Macdonald, chair of SACN's carbohydrate working group. "You have to reduce the consumption of all foods with free sugars, not just one type. It is possible without it being a boring second world war rationing diet."

The proposed 5% limit mirrors draft guidelines published by the World Health Organisation in March.

According to the report, people should get half their daily energy from carbohydrates – often starchy foods, such as potatoes and rice. It goes on to recommend high-fibre diets, with the guideline level for dietary fibre rising to 30g for adults. High-fibre diets seem to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and bowel cancer. The report does not recommend changing the well-established advice to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables.

To coincide with the SACN report, Public Health England (PHE) launched its own paper on how to help people reduce their sugar intake. It said it would reconsider its advice on fruit juice and smoothies in its five-a-day campaign.

Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said: "One reason we're worried about sugar is obesity. We tend to think of obesity as being a cosmetic problem, as only to do with those images we see in the media of grossly obese people, but it's not. Being a little bit overweight, being slightly podgy, is raising your risk of serious diseases including type-2 diabetes, which will have potent devastating effects on you and your family. Also it raises the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers.'

She said PHE would look across the board at ways to reduce the public's sugar intake, from the possible introduction of a sugar tax to tackling advertising to children.

But changing the nation's eating habits will be a formidable task. Two-thirds of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, as are one in five children at reception age and one in three primary school-leavers. Children from poorer backgrounds are almost twice as likely to be overweight or obese as those from an affluent area.

According to Tedstone, sugary drinks are responsible for 30% of children's sugar intake, making them the single largest source. There is some evidence that sugary drinks encourage over-consumption, because they do not fill people up in the same way as other foods, she said.

"Our data show that adolescents are on average having a can of fizzy drink every single day, and that is part and parcel of the reason why they are exceeding their sugar recommendations . It's certainly an area for families and individuals to think about."

Catherine Collins, principal dietitian at St George's hospital NHS trust said: "Unless you're an elite athlete, sugary soft drinks really have no place in your diet. They contribute unnecessary calories to daily intake, and for all age groups, but particularly in the young, they contribute to tooth decay – unless of course you already wear dentures."