Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Epidemiology

Comments on: “The role of dietary sugars in health: molecular composition or just calories?”

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 73, pages 1323–1324 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

We read with interest the narrative review by Prinz [1] on the question whether dietary sugars per se have an unfavorable health effect, or if it is just the amount of calories that matters in the development of non-communicable diseases (NCD) and obesity. As the author is working for the German Sugar Association, his conclusion was to be expected: in his view, the scientific evidence does not support the conclusion that dietary sugars themselves are detrimental, but it is simply the excess amount of calories which is to blame [1].

Besides the fact, that narrative reviews should be in the opinion of these authors only be performed for novel topics for which evidence is just starting to arise, Prinz’ argumentation strategy has some gaps, we would like to bring the readers’ attention to.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Prinz P. The role of dietary sugars in health: molecular composition or just calories? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-019-0407-z.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Hauner H, Bechthold A, Boeing H, et al. Evidence-based guideline of the german nutrition society: carbohydrate intake and prevention of nutrition-related diseases. Ann Nutr Metab. 2012;60(s1):1–58. https://doi.org/10.1159/000335326.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Te Morenga L, Mallard S, Mann J. Dietary sugars and body weight: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and cohort studies. BMJ. 2013;346:e7492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Great Britain (2015) Carbohydrates and health. Published for Public Health England from the Stationery Office, London

  5. Malik VS, Popkin BM, Bray GA, et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:2477–83. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc10-1079.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Imamura F, O’Connor L, Ye Z, et al. Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice and incidence of type 2 diabetes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and estimation of population attributable fraction. BMJ. 2015;351:h3576. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h3576.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. World Health Organization. Sugars intake for adults and children (2015).

  8. Maersk M, Belza A, Holst JJ, et al. Satiety scores and satiety hormone response after sucrose-sweetened soft drink compared with isocaloric semi-skimmed milk and with non-caloric soft drink: a controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2012;66:523–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.223.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Moodie R, Stuckler D, Monteiro C, et al. Profits and pandemics: prevention of harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink industries. Lancet. 2013;381:670–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62089-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bonn, Institute of Nutritional and Food Sciences (IEL), Department of Nutritional Epidemiology, DONALD Study, Heinstück 11, 44225, Dortmund, Germany

    Ines Perrar & Ute Alexy

Authors
  1. Ines Perrar
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ute Alexy
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ute Alexy.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Perrar, I., Alexy, U. Comments on: “The role of dietary sugars in health: molecular composition or just calories?”. Eur J Clin Nutr 73, 1323–1324 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-019-0456-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-019-0456-3

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links