SPECIAL REPORT: Sugar Consumption, Disease & Industry Change

16 Aug 2016 --- In a bid to prevent the current obesity crisis from increasing, the UK government plans to introduce a sugar tax in April 2018, following in the footsteps of a handful of other countries that have already implemented the levy.

The move comes after building evidence from the health and nutrition community that sugar is a key ingredient behind the increase of many types of disease in the western world, especially when consumed in the form of soft and fizzy drinks.

Today, NutritionInsight takes a look at how sugar consumption really impacts disease, how regulations are changing the sugar market, and how consumer taste could impact how much the market actually changes in the future. 

Sugar’s Impact on Health: In Studies
The impact of sugar on our health is virtually undeniable. Various studies over the last 2 decades have listed the overconsumption of sugar as a contributing factor to various illnesses, with a prominence in obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease (CVD) and fatty liver disease.

Cardiovascular Disease
A 2011 study by the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, found sugar sweetened beverages to be the greatest contributor to added sugar intake in the US. Along with the promotion of weight gain, the study found that they may increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular risk independent of obesity, as well as increased fructose metabolism leading to inflammation, and insulin resistance.

A further study released in 2014 by the American Medical Association, revealed that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (seven servings or more per week) was associated with increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, noting that this risk of death increased with a higher percentage of calories from added sugar.

Fatty Liver Disease
The consumption of sugar has also been associated with the increase of non-alcohol fatty liver disease. A 2008 study conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found a link between the high consumption of fructose and the development of the disease.

"Liver disease is the third leading cause of premature death in the UK and the prevalence has risen by more than 400% since the 1970s.” Andrew Langford, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust told NutritionInsight, “And one of the reasons that we are seeing this huge increase is that as a nation we are getting fatter.”

“One in five of us are already likely to have the early stages of this type of liver disease, and being overweight is the chief risk factor. We know that too much sugar in the diet is a major reason for many people being overweight.”

Obesity 
Possibly the most crucial outcome of the over consumption of sugar in terms of legislation, is the rise in obesity. Aside from aforementioned studies naming obesity as a result of sugar over-consumption, a recent report by the WHO detailed that a diet high in free sugar is likely to result in being overweight or obese, an announcement which led to an important change in legislation. 

Recent Legislation Change & Consumer Demand
The updated legislation from the WHO came in March 2015, and recommended that no more than 10% of daily intake should be from free sugars, adding that a further reduction of 5% would provide additional health benefits. It stated that free sugars are responsible for a rise in worldwide obesity and tooth decay. 

This announcement had a significant impact on the demonization of sugar, as food manufacturers were put under pressure to reduce the sugar in their products in order to help consumers reduce their intake. 

It also highlighted the negative discussion of sugar for consumers to see.

The Future of Sweetness
As a result of the WHO’s guidelines and other new regulations such as the sugar tax, many food manufacturers are making a move away from the traditional sweet stuff, reformulating their products with natural sweeteners such as stevia in a bid to appeal to health conscious consumers who are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of sugar. 

However, this move to ‘clean label’ through the addition of clean label sweeteners like stevia, means that consumers are inadvertently bringing calories back into their diet. While other sweeteners such as aspartame and acesulfame-K can be used in entirely sugar free beverages, right now stevia requires the addition of sugar to mask the aftertaste. This means that food and beverages using clean label sweeteners are typically calorie reduced as opposed to calorie free, something known as the ‘clean label paradox.’ Consumers want less calories – but they also want great taste.

Tim Rycroft, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Food and Drink Federation, told NutritionInsight: “Taste is the primary driver of purchase. Reformulating a much-loved product therefore carries inherent risks. Even where consumers state health is a concern, this may not be reflected in their purchases.”

Rycroft explains that making sure consumers accept products is important, and thinks that although consumers may demand healthier foods, swapping from sugar to other sweeteners too fast, may result in them abandoning previously loved products.

“Often changing products incrementally can give the best chance of consumer acceptance and avoids rejection of a product. This involves long-term company commitment and investment as reformulation is both expensive and time consuming.” He adds: “Just undertaking consumer studies can take six to nine months for a single recipe change.”

Change In the Food industry
Although moving slowly may be needed from a commercial point of view, it seems that the food industry are willing to recognise that change is needed as a whole. 

Speaking with NutritionInsight, a spokesperson from Nestlé said: “We share public concerns about the health risks associated with the excess consumption of free sugars, and we support and are guided by the World Health Organization’s recommendation for people to reduce the consumption of free sugars throughout the course of their lives.”

They added: “As part of one of our contributions to public health efforts, we have reduced sugar over the years. We have had a group-wide mandatory policy on sugars since 2007 that guides our ongoing efforts to reduce sugars as well as to help consumers, both adults and children, meet daily intakes of free sugars within WHO recommendations.”

Tim Rycroft also detailed what some members of the FDF have done to reformulate their products, “Since 2005, Coca-Cola has launched 27 reformulated or new drinks with reduced sugar and calories,” he stated, adding: “70% of Pepsi’s 2014 estimated retail sales were in no sugar colas thanks to initiatives such as their commitment to only advertise low or no sugar cola varieties. Nestlé UK launched a lower sugar version of the regular Munch Bunch fromage frais, containing 30% less sugar compared to the original.”

However, despite this apparent co-operation from the food industry, many still believe there is more to be done in order to protect consumers from becoming sick.

Andrew Langford, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust told NutritionInsight, “We need a commitment from policy makers to implement policies which address the lifestyle factors. For non-alcohol related fatty liver disease this includes an appropriate sugar tax, prominent and understandable labeling on food products, suitable health warnings and regulation of sugar in food in soft and drinks.”

However, there are oppositions when it comes to claims that sugar is the key in the west’s current health crisis. 

Dr Alison Boyd, Director of Sugar Nutrition UK, disputed that sugar as a standalone ingredient has a direct impact on developing illnesses, telling NutritionInsight: “Current scientific evidence does not support the theory that consumption of sugars is a specific cause of a wide range of diseases.”

She continued, “In 2015, the UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a comprehensive report, Carbohydrates and Health. It stated: ‘there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that fructose intake, at levels consumed in the normal UK diet, leads to adverse health outcomes independent of any effects related to its presence as a component of total and free sugars.’”

Regardless, sugar demonization is still on the rise, and due to this, the market of sweetness will almost certainly undergo a serious re-vamp, providing clean label sweeteners with a huge new market opportunity. Those who are able to offer an alternative solution to sugar that meet both the taste and health expectations of consumers will no doubt find themselves in a very fortunate position. 

by Hannah Gardiner