Not So Sweet: World Health Organization says sugar intake should be half of what was previously recommended

We can’t sugar coat this: The World Health Organization now says daily sugar intake should only be 5% of your total calories—or less than one can of soda per day—which is half of what the agency previously recommended.

    
After a review of about 9,000 studies, WHO experts concluded that dropping sugar intake to that level will combat obesity and cavities.

The sugar in question only refers to sweetened foods, syrups, fruit juices, and honey, and does not include those occurring naturally in fruits.      

Scientists are gearing up for a battle with the food industry following WHO’s announcement. When the organization last revised its sugar guidelines more than a decade ago, the U.S. sugar industry lobbied Congress to threaten withdrawing millions of dollars in funding to WHO. That didn’t happen, but a reference to the sugar limit was removed from a global diet strategy, even while the recommendation passed.