The American Heart Association has come out with new guidelines when it comes to the consumption of sugar. They are stating that women should have no more than 100 calories of added processed sugar a day (equal to 6 tsps.) and men should have no more than 150 calories a day (9 tsps.) Currently the average amount of sugar that is consumed by an individual is 350 calories or 22 teaspoons.

The study looked primarily at the consumption of soft drinks, which is the number one contributor to added processed sugar in a person's diet. The Sugar Association, a U.S. sugar industry group fired back saying that it was "very disappointed" with the study as "very few of the cited references by the AHA are directly related to sugars and heart health impacts."

The American Beverage Association also fired back saying, "Like many foods, soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are a source of calories, but in and of themselves, they are not a unique risk factor for obesity or other negative health outcomes -- including heart disease."

Experts are not saying that soft drinks alone cause heart disease, but they are the number one source of added sugar in a person's diet. One can of regular soda contains 130 calories, which is already over the recommended amount for a woman's intake. Daily consumption of sugary drinks is on the rise as has risen 70% from the 1970's to the 2000's.

For anybody who already has increased risk for heart problems, these guidelines should be implemented as soon as possible. Even if you don't have an increased risk, these are still excellent guidelines to help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure or stroke from every happening to you.

    

Thanks for the information! That is a very interesting article. But, oh no, I love sweets. Well, will have to forget about more than 150 calories per day