We conclude based on high quality evidence from r and omized controlled trials ( RCT ) , systematic review s and meta-analyses of cohort studies that singling out added sugars as unique culprits for metabolically based diseases such as obesity , diabetes and cardiovascular disease appears inconsistent with modern , high quality evidence and is very unlikely to yield health benefits .
While it is prudent to consume added sugars in moderation , the reduction of these components of the diet without other reductions of caloric sources seems unlikely to achieve any meaningful benefit
Added sugars are a controversial and hotly debated topic .
Consumption of added sugars has been implicated in increased risk of a variety of chronic diseases including obesity , cardiovascular disease , diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD ) as well as cognitive decline and even some cancers .
Support for these putative associations has been challenged , however , on a variety of fronts .
The purpose of the current review is to summarize high impact evidence including systematic review s , meta-analyses , and r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) , in an attempt to provide an overview of current evidence related to added sugars and health considerations .
This paper is an extension of a symposium held at the Experimental Biology 2015 conference entitled " Sweeteners and Health : Current Underst and ings , Controversies , Recent Research Findings and Directions for Future Research " .
Ad libitum intake of low-fat diets rich in either starchy foods or sucrose: effects on blood lipids, factor VII coagulant activity, and fibrinogen.
People are advised to reduce their intake of saturated fat and replace it by carbohydrate to avoid coronary heart disease . It is unknown whether sucrose and starchy foods , two major sources of carbohydrates , have similar effects on cardiovascular risk markers if incorporated as a replacement for saturated fat into diets eaten ad libitum . We served 20 healthy , normal-weight women aged 21 to 52 years three strictly controlled diets ad libitum : FAT , high in total fat ( 46 % of total energy [ E% ] ) and saturated fat ( 21 E% ) ; STARCH , high in total carbohydrates ( 59 E% ) and low in sucrose ( 2.5 E% ) ; and SUCROSE , high in total carbohydrates ( 59 E% ) and sucrose ( 23.2 E% ) . The diets were eaten in r and omized order for a period of 2 weeks . Blood lipids , factor VII coagulant activity ( FVIIc ) , and fibrinogen concentrations were measured with subjects in the fasted state ( 9:45 AM ) and the postabsorptive state ( 6:00 PM ) . STARCH was associated with lower total cholesterol ( mean difference , 0.34 mmol/L ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 0.18 to 0.50 ) , low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol ( 0.25 mmol/L ; 95 % CI , 0.13 to 0.37 ) , fasting triglycerides ( 0.15 mmol/L ; 95 % CI , 0.07 to 0.23 ) , nonfasting triglycerides ( 0.44 mmol/L ; 95 % CI , 0.30 to 0.58 ) , and nonfasting FVIIc ( 9.8 % ; 95 % CI , 3.8 to 15.8 ) than SUCROSE . Compared with FAT , STARCH result ed in a desirable decrease of LDL cholesterol and nonfasting FVIIc .  STARCH was also associated with a minor weight loss ( 0.7 kg ) that was not found on the other 2 diets . We conclude that starchy foods with a natural content of dietary fiber can be recommended as substitutes for saturated fat in the dietary prevention of coronary heart disease . According to the present short-term findings in healthy females , substitution with sucrose is not advisable
We conclude based on high quality evidence from r and omized controlled trials ( RCT ) , systematic review s and meta-analyses of cohort studies that singling out added sugars as unique culprits for metabolically based diseases such as obesity , diabetes and cardiovascular disease appears inconsistent with modern , high quality evidence and is very unlikely to yield health benefits .
While it is prudent to consume added sugars in moderation , the reduction of these components of the diet without other reductions of caloric sources seems unlikely to achieve any meaningful benefit
Added sugars are a controversial and hotly debated topic .
Consumption of added sugars has been implicated in increased risk of a variety of chronic diseases including obesity , cardiovascular disease , diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD ) as well as cognitive decline and even some cancers .
Support for these putative associations has been challenged , however , on a variety of fronts .
The purpose of the current review is to summarize high impact evidence including systematic review s , meta-analyses , and r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) , in an attempt to provide an overview of current evidence related to added sugars and health considerations .
This paper is an extension of a symposium held at the Experimental Biology 2015 conference entitled " Sweeteners and Health : Current Underst and ings , Controversies , Recent Research Findings and Directions for Future Research " .