The Average Sugar Intake Per Day In America

The epidemic of obesity has become a national health problem, placing Americans at risk of developing serious obesity-related conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Although no single food or type of food causes obesity, eating sugary foods makes it easier to eat too much. If you are not sure of your calorie needs, discuss your situation with your health care provider or a nutritionist who can assess the amount of sugar in your diet.

Sugar Sources

Some foods have naturally occurring sugars whiles others have added sugars. Lactose or milk sugar occurs naturally in dairy products and fructose occurs naturally in fruit. Manufacturers add sugar to sweeten desserts, dairy products, soft drinks, fruit drinks, cereals and other foods. The nutrition labels on food list the total amount of sugar per serving but do not differentiate between natural and added sugars. Ingredients in processed foods that include sucrose, maltose, cane sugary, molasses, raw sugar, honey, syrup, high fructose corn syrup or fruit juice concentrate indicate that sugar has been added to the food.

Sugar Intake

The National Cancer Institute's analysis of data from the 2001 to 2004 for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed that the average American consumes 22.2 tsp. of sugar daily, or about 355 calories, according to Rachel K. Johnson, Ph.D., R.D., lead researcher in a study published in the August 2009 issue of "Circulation." Boys ages 14 to 18 years old consumed 34.4 tsp. a day, or 549 calories, the most of any other group. The lowest consumption group was children of both genders between the ages of 1 and 3 years at 12.2 tsp. of sugar a day.

Risks

Eating natural or added sugar can affect your health in several ways. Both types of sugar can cause tooth decay if you do not practice good dental hygiene. Filling up on sugary foods instead of eating a balanced diet leaves no room for the nutritious foods that you need to keep your body healthy and strong. If you eat too many calories, as often happens when you eat fatty and sugary foods, you will gain weight and may become obese, which increases your risk of osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer. Eating too much sugar also may increase your triglyceride level which also increases the risk of heart disease.

Tips for Reducing Sugar Intake

People should limit the amount of added sugars in their diets to no more than half of their daily discretionary calories -- about 100 calories a day or 6 tsp. of sugar for women and 150 calories a day or 9 tsp. for men, according to Johnson. Using artificial sweeteners can help by reducing the amount of sugar consumed each day. Other measures to try include using applesauce instead of fat and sugar in dessert recipes; eating more raw fruit instead of refined sugars; and mixing plain yogurt with fruit instead of sweetened yogurt.