How much sugar is too much?
The American diet is loaded with sugar. That's one of the reasons why we have an obesity epidemic.
So how much sugar is too much? The federal government's dietary guidelines don't say.
So the American Heart Association has come up with its own recommendations.
"The guidelines suggest that for a woman around 6 teaspoons a day of sugar and for a man around 9 teaspoons a day of sugar," says Dr. John Swartzberg, head of the editorial board at the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter.
He thinks the Heart Association's guidelines are a good idea.
"People need to have a rough idea of sugar they should be consuming. After all sugar is great for energy but it's just calories with no nutrition attached to it."
It's not hard to go over these new limits. For instance, a 16-ounce bottle of regular soda has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar -- more than the daily allowance for both men and women.
Many foods have natural sugars -- fruits and vegetables, even milk. You don't need to worry about these sugars because they are part of a healthy food.
For more information
Association recommends reduced intake of added sugars
Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages daily linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, increased healthcare costs
So how much sugar is too much? The federal government's dietary guidelines don't say.
So the American Heart Association has come up with its own recommendations.
"The guidelines suggest that for a woman around 6 teaspoons a day of sugar and for a man around 9 teaspoons a day of sugar," says Dr. John Swartzberg, head of the editorial board at the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter.
He thinks the Heart Association's guidelines are a good idea.
"People need to have a rough idea of sugar they should be consuming. After all sugar is great for energy but it's just calories with no nutrition attached to it."
It's not hard to go over these new limits. For instance, a 16-ounce bottle of regular soda has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar -- more than the daily allowance for both men and women.
Many foods have natural sugars -- fruits and vegetables, even milk. You don't need to worry about these sugars because they are part of a healthy food.
For more information
Association recommends reduced intake of added sugars
Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages daily linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, increased healthcare costs