November 4, 2009 (IFT) - A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA), published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, provides specific guidance on limiting the consumption of added sugars. This document also offers AHA’s recommendations on specific levels and limits on the consumption of added sugars.

The statement says that most women should consume no more than 100 calories, or about 6 tsp, of added sugars per day and most men should consume no more than 150 calories, or about 9 tsp, each day. In contrast, the statement cites a report from the 2001–04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that showed the average intake of added sugars for all Americans was about 22 tsp/day.

The study classifies all sugars and syrups added to foods during processing or preparation, as well as sugars and syrups added at the table, as added sugars. It states that a high intake of added sugars, as opposed to naturally occurring sugars, is implicated in the rise in obesity and also associated with increased risks for high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, other risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and inflammation, which is a marker for heart disease.

According to the statement, sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the number one source of added sugars in Americans’ diet, with one 12-oz can of regular soda containing about 130 calories and 8 tsp of sugar.