Added Sugars, Less Urgency? Fine Print and the Guidelines

IF you want a peek into the fierce debate over whether too much sugar is bad for you, start at the final recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report.

After hours of negotiations by committee members, the report, to be released tomorrow, lacks any direct recommendation that added sugar should be reduced, as previous reports had urged. Yet fairly hidden on Page 6 are details about the hazards of sugar, especially the kind found in soft drinks and sweetened juice beverages. It seems as if the committee wanted to have it both ways.

Should added sugars be considered a health hazard? Until this month, the committee was evenly divided. Trade associations, which play a major part in the government's decisions on its food policy, say no. Nonaffiliated scientific researchers say a resounding YES.

StateNewsOnline.com