The amount of sugar in some of our favorite foods has decreased so much that it is now at the same level as it was in the 1970s, according to an official report from the United States Department of Agriculture.
While the numbers are not a direct reflection of how much sugar Americans consume, they do indicate how much sugar we get in processed foods.
The report, which details how much sugar is sent to food manufacturers for use, attributed the drop to “changing consumer preferences”, which has caused manufacturers to revise their recipes.
Eating too much sugar is a major risk factor for tooth decay, as well as obesity, which is linked to a number of diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The ingredient has become a villain in recent years, with top global health officials labeling it as the main driver of America’s obesity crisis. Dr. Robert Lustig, an influential neuroendocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, called it “poison.”
But the latest data from the USDA suggests that sugar may not play as big a role in America’s obesity epidemic, which affects nearly four in 10 Americans.
The total amount of sugar supplied to food and beverage manufacturers is approaching 1970s levels. However, millions of Americans still consume about 300 percent of the recommended amount of sugar.
The USDA report suggests that between 1999 and 2021, the total amount of all types of sweeteners used by American food manufacturers decreased by 17 percent.
The availability of all sugars has declined precipitously since 1999 and eventually fell to a level not seen since 1970.
The USDA said the overall decline was due to “a reduction in availability” of all the different types of sugars that manufacturers use.
This includes high fructose corn syrup, glucose syrup, dextrose, and table sugar, also known as refined sugar.
The availability of table sugar began to increase again in 2010, surpassing corn sweeteners in 2011.
The USDA said: “Changes in preferences among consumers and food manufacturers, high corn prices, and competition with refined cane and beet sugars and other caloric sweeteners have contributed to this decline.”
Katie Lopez, a registered dietitian and diabetes specialist in New Hampshire, said, “I believe the decline in HFCS consumption is largely due to a trend and preference for diet sodas over sugar-sweetened sodas.”
Table sugar, on the other hand, is processed from sugar cane or sugar beets.
Natural and added sugars are metabolized in the same way in the body. But unlike natural sugar, like fructose in fruit, which is combined with fiber that takes longer to digest, added sugars break down quickly, causing insulin and blood sugar levels to rise.
Highly processed foods are full of refined sugars, which come with high health costs.
A radical meta-analysis from more than 8,600 studies A study published last year found that added sugar was linked to substantially higher odds of 45 negative health outcomes, including diabetes, gout, obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer, asthma, cavities, depression and early death.
Another study on the effects of too much sugar by researchers at the University of Oxford tracked the eating habits of 116,000 people for up to 15 years and checked whether they had been hospitalized or died.
The study population who consumed mostly foods with processed sugars, including soda, fruit juices and table sugar, while avoiding high-fat cheese and butter, were four percent more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease in the middle age.
However, scientists say the increased risk of health damage is probably due to the fact that sugary foods are high in calories and very tasty, leading to overeating and weight gain.
Overall, the total availability of sugar for use by food manufacturers remains high and ultra-processed foods are as popular as ever.
The average American consumes about 68 grams, or 17 teaspoons, of sugar per day. that is approximately 300 percent the recommended amount.
But there is good news. Added sugar consumption has been declining for about 20 years, according to the Sugar Associationa trade group for the sugar industry.
In the two decades since 2000, people of various age groups have shown a notable reduction in their consumption of added sugars, with average daily intake decreasing by 30 percent.
Average sugar intake fell from just over 24 teaspoons to about 17 teaspoon equivalents per day, reflecting a significant change in eating habits.