# Assessment and Evaluation of the Intake of Sugars in European Countries
## 4 Discussion  
The results on the guidelines on sugars that apply to Europe show that there is no consensus among scientific experts due to differences in the (quantitative) recommendation \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline
**Count.y** & **Gender** & **Age Group (Years)** & **Mean \(\pm\) SD** \\ \hline Denmark [33] & Male & 18–24 & 10.0 \(\pm\) 6.5 \\ \hline  & & 25–34 & 10.0 \(\pm\) 5.7 \\ \hline  & & 35–44 & 9.0 \(\pm\) 5.7 \\ \hline  & & 45–54 & 7.0 \(\pm\) 4.9 \\ \hline  & & 55–64 & 7.0 \(\pm\) 4.7 \\ \hline  & Female & 18–24 & 11.0 \(\pm\) 6.9 \\ \hline  & & 25–34 & 9.0 \(\pm\) 4.8 \\ \hline  & & 35–44 & 9.0 \(\pm\) 5.3 \\ \hline  & & 45–54 & 8.0 \(\pm\) 5.0 \\ \hline  & & 55–64 & 7.0 \(\pm\) 3.6 \\ \hline   Hungary [42] & Male & 18–34 & 9.3 \\ \hline  & & 35–64 & 7.3 \\ \hline  & Female & 18–34 & 11.3 \\ \hline  & & 35–64 & 8.0 \\ \hline   Ireland [43] & Male & 18–35 & 8.1 \(\pm\) 4.3 \\ \hline  & & 36–50 & 7.5 \(\pm\) 4.1 \\ \hline  & & 51–64 & 7.1 \(\pm\) 4.0 \\ \hline  & Female & 18–35 & 9.2 \(\pm\) 4.7 \\ \hline  & & 36–50 & 7.5 \(\pm\) 4.1 \\ \hline  & & 51–64 & 7.4 \(\pm\) 4.1 \\ \hline   Norway [45] & Male & 18–29 & 9.2 \(\pm\) 6.9 \\ \hline  & & 30–39 & 7.2 \(\pm\) 6.0 \\ \hline  & & 40–49 & 7.7 \(\pm\) 6.0 \\ \hline  & & 50–59 & 6.3 \(\pm\) 5.1 \\ \hline  & Female & 18–29 & 9.3 \(\pm\) 6.5 \\ \hline  & & 30–39 & 8.2 \(\pm\) 5.6 \\ \hline  & & 40–49 & 6.6 \(\pm\) 4.4 \\ \hline  & & 50–59 & 6.8 \(\pm\) 4.9 \\ \hline   Portugal [26] & Male & 18–64 & 6.5 \\ \hline  & Female & 18–64 & 7.1 \\ \hline   Switzerland [46] & Male & 18–75 & 9.4 \\ \hline  & Female & 18–75 & 9.3 \\ \hline The Netherlands [22] & Male & 19–30 & 13.0 \\ \hline  & & 31–50 & 10.6 \\ \hline  & & 51–70 & 8.9 \\ \hline  & Female & 19–30 & 12.3 \\ \hline  & & 31–50 & 10.4 \\ \hline  & & 51–70 & 9.1 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: The dietary intake of added sugars (energy%) among adult Europeans. on total, added, or free sugars and the chosen endpoint. Total sugars include sugars from fruit, vegetables, and dairy products, which are important sources of essential nutrients. From a public health perspective, a piece of advice to reduce the intake of total sugars can be counterproductive, despite that all fermentable carbohydrates can influence dental caries. Free sugars include added sugars plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices, and fruit juice concentrates. Next to added sugars is fruit juice, the most important source of free sugars. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [49] concluded in their review that 100% pure fruit juice has not shown reliable associations with diabetes or cardiometabolic diseases. From a health perspective, it is advised to focus on added sugars. The results show that most population groups have a mean intake of added sugars below 10 en%. For information on trends, the review of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [50] and data from the Netherlands (with detailed information about the trends in added sugars) were used. The study of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [50] concluded that findings indicate that in most population comparisons, estimated dietary sugars intake is either stable or decreasing in both absolute (gram/day:g/d) and relative (en%) terms. A more recent comparison (2007-2010 versus 2012-2016) for the Netherlands confirms this downward trend in the intake of sugars [51]. The mean intake of added sugar among 7-79-year-old individuals was 18% lower in 2012-2016 than in 2007-2010. The average consumption of sugars-containing non-alcoholic drinks was 16 g/day and of sugar & sweets was 3 g/day (10%), and was significantly lower in the survey of 2012-2016. A significant decrease was also seen within the last Dutch survey among adults. In the years 2012-2014, the mean consumption of sugar-containing drinks was 312 g/day and in 2015-2016 the mean consumption was 262 g/day. This is a decrease of 49 g/day (corresponding with 16%). According to [PERSON] et al.