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Below is a Nutrition News Focus (newsletter)

Added Sugar and Diet Quality

Although sugar is often cited as a source of "empty calories," a recent look
at the diets of Americans finds that there is little difference in the
quality of diets among those eating more or less added sugars. The report
appears in the February 2001 Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

In a study of 16,000 people conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
higher consumption of added sugars by children correlated with more intake
of grains, folic acid, vitamin C and iron but less dairy. Similar results
were found if all people were analyzed or just children or adolescents.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Sugar is not inherently a dietary villain. The
statistical relationships of sugar intake with the rest of the diet were
small and probably not biologically meaningful. Most of us probably eat too
much sugar, but the body cannot tell the difference between added sugars and
naturally occurring sugars in foods. This study is not an excuse to eat from
the sugar bowl, but it should put the issue of diet quality in perspective.

4.17.01

Rob