On the WHO proposal to halve the daily intake of sugar, GIFT gathers the opinion of nutritionist Giorgio Donegani, president of Food Education Italy and a member of the EXPO-Scuola2015 Scientific Committee of MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research).
“The effects of excessive consumption of simple sugars are known and proven, both in terms of increased susceptibility to overweight (and related diseases) and increased risk of dental caries. However, one must start from a fact of reality. At least as far as Italy is concerned (which is not even among the most critical countries), the target set earlier, to contain the calorie share provided by simple sugars to a maximum of 10 percent, has yet to be reached.
LARN guidelines, recently updated by the Italian Society of Human Nutrition (SINU) indicate that calorie intake from simple sugars should not exceed 15 percent. That is, three times the limit assumed in the new WHO guidelines, which today seems far removed from the reality of consumption. There is thus consensus on the problem of overconsumption, especially in younger age groups, but the threshold to recommend is still debated.
The real issue lies in the need to activate, worldwide, effective taste education campaigns. Sweet is the one flavor toward which we show an innate preference, which accompanies us throughout our lives. Therefore, in order to propose a radical lowering of sugar content in products, it is necessary at the same time to educate a different “flavor culture.”
Otherwise, consumers addicted to sweet flavors will tend to seek them out on alternative products, perhaps synthetically sweetened, with the risk-especially for young children-of exceeding the safe doses prescribed for synthetic sweeteners, and equally incurring health problems.
Therefore, guidelines cannot disregard the relationship that links the physiological dimension of nutrition with the cultural dimension, which determines our choices.”
