ote weight gain.
The authors also make it clear that, contrary to the belief of many members of the public, sugar intake is almost certainly not the only driver of the obesity epidemic. They point out, for example, that the effect of varying sugar consumption on body weight is relatively small, and that this is unsurprising, â€śowing to the multifactorial causes of obesityâ€ť.
So what should we do with this knowledge?
Clearly, avoiding excessive sugar intake would be prudent, but this has been recommended for as long as dietary guidelines have been in existence in Australia (and in most other nations). The current wording of theÂ relevant Australian guidelineÂ is, â€śConsume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugarsâ€ť.
This wording is likely to be altered when theÂ revised guidelines are publishedÂ next month. At present, the draft revised guideline reads: â€śLimit intake of foods and drinks containing added sugars. In particular, limit sugar-sweetened drinks.â€ť
That sounds like good advice to me!
** Chris Forbes-Ewan is Senior Nutritionist at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.Â Chris Forbes-Ewan received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council in 2006 for his contribution to the development of Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. His contribution was in the area of estimated energy requirements.
Some thoughts on how the public health sector can learn from @IndigenousX and its pitch to the #ShortyAwards