Consumers are caught in sugar battle

Before you chug down another regular soda or spoon sugar into your tea or coffee, consider this: A heated debate is going on over the health risks of consuming too much sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other caloric sweeteners.

On one side: leading nutrition experts who believe that these sweeteners, including those used in soft drinks, tea, coffee and countless other foods and beverages, add empty calories to people's diets and promote weight gain. And they say emerging scientific research indicates that consuming too much of these sweeteners may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems.

On the other side: industry groups representing sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that say their products are natural and don't cause weight gain or health problems. They have launched advertising and marketing campaigns.

The American Heart Association is on the nutrition experts' side. The group recently issued a scientific statement saying that high intake of added sugars is implicated in many poor health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. And it recommended that women consume no more than 100 calories a day, or about 6 1/2 teaspoons, from added sugars; men, no more than 150 calories, or about 9 1/2 teaspoons. This includes table sugar, brown sugar, HFCS, honey, molasses, brown rice syrup, agave syrup and other caloric sweeteners.

Americans are eating and drinking an average 22.2 teaspoons a day, or 355 calories, says Rachel Johnson, a nutrition professor at the University of Vermont and lead author of the heart association statement. Every teaspoon has 15 to 16 calories. "Sugar has no nutritional value other than it provides calories," she says.

But the Sugar Association states on its website that the scientific evidence "exonerates sugar as the cause of any lifestyle disease, including heart disease and obesity." In a prepared statement, the group says, "Sugar has been safely used to sweeten foods and beverages for more than 2,000 years."

And the Corn Refiners Association is running ads to boost the image of HFCS. The association's website says that consumers are being misled by marketing tactics implying that products labeled "high-fructose corn syrup-free" are more healthful than those with HFCS.

Hitting a sour note, on both sides

All this marketing hoopla has left a sour taste in the mouths of nutrition experts.