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Evidence does not support the reduction of added sugar intake from all food sources

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 19, page 845 (2022)Cite this article

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We read with interest the Comment article by Kimber Stanhope (Guidelines to lower intake of added sugar are necessary and justified. Nat. Rev. Cardiol. 19, 569–570 (2022))1, in which she criticized our recent narrative review2. We feel that our views were misrepresented and would like to clarify them.

Our original intention was to call for caution regarding the over-extrapolation of results from studies on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), as Dr Stanhope correctly stated1. However, we did not intend to exonerate added sugars as being harmless to health. We were pointing out that most, if not all, the available evidence linking added sugars to ill health comes from studies on SSBs. If we follow the principles of evidence-based medicine3, the appropriate conclusion to draw is that added or free sugars from SSBs are harmful to health — and no more than that. Extrapolating results from SSB studies to demonize all forms of added sugars is not evidence-based but, instead, best guess. Even if it is the most logical line of thought, one should not ‘sugar coat’ such extrapolation as being evidence-based.

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References

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  1. School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

    Ruolin Yan, Chi Bun Chan & Jimmy Chun Yu Louie

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  1. Ruolin Yan
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  2. Chi Bun Chan
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  3. Jimmy Chun Yu Louie
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Correspondence to Jimmy Chun Yu Louie.

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Yan, R., Chan, C.B. & Louie, J.C.Y. Evidence does not support the reduction of added sugar intake from all food sources. Nat Rev Cardiol 19, 845 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-022-00791-w

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