Facts About Sugar

 

What is Sugar?

Sugars are simple carbohydrates that provide quick energy source that is easily absorbed by the body.

Naturally, the sugar found in foods containing carbohydrates such as rice, noodles, bread, pasta and tubers. Sugar is also found in fruit in the form of fructose, and lactose in milk.

In addition there are in the form of natural sugar added to food during preparation or processing.

Added sugar intake is not required in the daily diet because sugar can be obtained from foods containing carbohydrates.

On food labels, sugars can be listed as sucrose (sucrose), fructose (fructose), sorbitol, mannitol (Mannitol), corn syrup (corn syrup), honey (honey), malt, malt extract (malt extract), maltose (maltose) , extracts of rice (rice extract), molasses (molasses), golden syrup and inverted sugar.

What is the recommended intake of added sugar?

WHO (2003) recommends the addition of sugar does not exceed 10% of total daily energy. Thus, for adults, the average recommended intake of added sugar is not more than 10 teaspoons a day (50g).

Additional sugar is monosaccharide and dwisakarida is added to foods and beverages by manufacturers and sugar added to food during cooking and preparing food.

What is the pattern of sugar consumption in Malaysia?

Based on the Food Intake in Adults Malaysia 2002/2003, adults in Malaysia add 7 teaspoons per day (51g) of 4 teaspoons (21G) of sugar and 3 teaspoons (30g) sweetened condensed milk into their drinks. Amount of sugar added to drinks alone has exceeded the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines recommended daily amount of sugar intake does not exceed 50g.

What is the pattern of sugar production in Malaysia?

Data from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs shows that the distribution of sugar in Malaysia is increasing from year to year. Domestic sugar distribution has increased from 651,973.12 metric tons in 2004 to 806,381.88 metric tons in 2009. While the distribution of sugar industry has increased from 306,895.34 metric tons in 2004 to 474,801.16 metric tons in 2009. These data show that sugar consumption among Malaysians has increased from year to year. This may be due to low sugar prices.

What are the effects of excessive sugar intake?

Excessive sugar consumption can lead to excessive energy intake.

Daily energy intake over the long term can increase the weight and cause obesity. This situation will become more serious if the diet is high in fat and lack of physical activity you do.

National Health and Morbidity Survey (National Health and Morbidity Survey, NHMS) III, 2006 found that 29.1% of Malaysian adults were overweight and building 14.0% were obese. This has shown improvement over the NHMS II, 1996, respectively 16.0% (overweight) and 4.0% (obese).

Obesity and overweight increase the risk of various chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

The prevalence of diabetes among the population aged over 30 years has increased from 8.3% in 1996 (NHMS II) to 14.9% in 2006 (NHMS III).

Sugar can also be associated with the formation of dental caries (dental caries). Data from the Ministry of Health showed that the rate of dental caries among children aged 5 years was 76.5% (2005) and 80.9% among children aged 6 years (1997).

What are the recommendations of the Ministry of Health Malaysia in reducing intake of foods and beverages low in sugar?

The main recommendations of a

Eat foods low in sugar.

How to reach

Select or make cookies and cakes with low sugar content.

Replace sweets like cookies and cakes with healthier choices like fruits.

Reduce the frequency of sugary foods.

Avoid sugary foods between meals and at bedtime.

Check the sugar content in the list of ingredients of a food product. If sugar is listed at the beginning of the list of ingredients, this indicates that sugar is the main component of the food.

Key Recommendation 2

Drinks with low sugar content.

How to reach

Drink plain water instead of sugary beverages such as carbonated water or syrup and cordial.

Limit your intake of sugar or condensed milk or sweetened condensed milk to 1 teaspoon for each cup.

Ask for less sugar or condensed milk or sweetened condensed milk when ordering drinks.

Check the labels of sugar in drinks.

Reduce the frequency of taking sugary drinks such as carbonated beverages, cordials, ice and mixed cendol (ABC).

Avoid sugary drink between meals and before bedtime.

(Source: Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2010)

What is the effect of sugar on health savings?

Reduction of sugar consumption can save money and improve the health status.

The impact on individual health:

1 teaspoon of sugar provides 20 kilocalories. If one were to take food and drinks plus 7 teaspoons of sugar a day, the amount of additional energy intake of sugar is 140 kilocalories. If not used, 140 kilocalories of energy will be converted to 20 grams of fat. If this sugar every day and the energy produced is not used for a month, will collect 600 grams of fat. If fat is continued for a year, will collect 7.2 kg excess body fat!. This has not been added to the collection of fat from foods that are oily, and fatty santan taken every day.

To burn 140 kilocalories derived from 7 teaspoons of added sugar, one should jog or walk up the hill for 20 minutes, aerobics for 30 minutes, bike for 40 minutes or doing household chores such as sweeping the regular trash, washing, cooking and update for 1 hour.

If one is to reduce intake of added sugar to 3 teaspoons of sugar a day (ie 1 teaspoon sugar for each cup and taken three times a day), he was able to avoid the increased energy of 80 kcal per day, 560 kcal or 2240 kcal per week per month. As such, he can avoid the addition of 300 grams of fat per month, or 600 grams in three months, or 3.6 pounds in one year.

Economic impact of food handlers

1 teaspoon of sugar weight is 5 grams. Thus, one kilogram of sugar is equivalent to 200 teaspoons of sugar.

Price per kilogram of sugar is RM1.65. Therefore, the price of 1 teaspoon of sugar is 0.8 cents, or 1 cent.

If a food handler who used to prepare drinks using additional sugar 4 teaspoons for each cup reduced to 1 teaspoon, he could save a total of 3 cents for each cup provided. If he provides the sugary drinks to 500 customers a day, he can save RM15 (3 cents x 500 cups) per day, or RM450 (RM15 x 30 days) per month, and RM5, 400 (RM450 x 12 months) a year!

What efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Health to educate people to reduce sugar intake?

Ministry of Health has undertaken several initiatives to educate people to reduce sugar intake. These include the Healthy Living Campaign, beginning in 1991. Be continued and strengthened the campaign to date through the implementation of Healthy Eating Promotion (Healthy Eating Promotion).

In 1998, the campaign has less sugar is most intensive. During the campaign, various activities were conducted. These include a campaign targeted at food stalls with the slogan "a sufficient, less is better"; negotiations with hotels, restaurants, canteens, coffee shops, franchise holders and caterers; and reduce the sugar to spread this message through brochures, posters and television commercials. Apart from that consultation with the food industry were also conducted. Through this consultation, the food industry has agreed to reduce the sugar content in food and beverage products that they produce. As a result, today is more and more products on the market less sugar. These efforts are ongoing to ensure that the increase of these products on the market.

Along with these efforts, the labeling of foods "low sugar" (low sugar) and "free sugar" (sugar free) has been authorized under the Food Regulations 1985. According to these regulations, the food "low sugar" are foods that contain no more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams or 2.5 grams per 100 ml. Food "free sugar" also is a food that contains sugar does not exceed 0.5 grams per 100 grams or 100 ml. Food Regulations 1985 also require mandatory labeling of sugar content in ready to drink beverages.

In 2007, a media campaign that focuses on the promotion of healthy eating is known as the "5M" was conducted. "Reduced Sugar" is one of the messages conveyed in this campaign.

Other efforts made by the Ministry of Health includes educational activities through the mass media and through various settings such as the Nutrition Information Center Healthy Community Kitchen available in almost all states. There are efforts to educate school children through programs and activities carried out jointly by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, including through the eyes of Physical Education and Health.

Message to reduce sugar intake is one of the main components in the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines.

Nutrition counseling services are also available at health clinics to increase knowledge and skills in the community about healthy eating practices, including reducing sugar intake. Services directly to people is provided by Nutrition Officer. Until March 2010, 51 Nutrient Officer positions were created in health clinics for this purpose. These services will be strengthened by placing Nutrition Officer in all health clinics.

What is the purpose of the campaign to reduce sugar in 2010?

Reduce Sugar Campaign 2010 is the government's continuous effort to educate people about the effects of excessive sugar intake. At the same time, the campaign aims to encourage food handlers and food industry, providing food and drinks with low sugar content to consumers. This is important to provide an environment that encourages people to practice healthy eating habits.

Long-term goals of this campaign is to create a healthy and prosperous people, in order to contribute effectively to national development.

Added sugar content in some foods and drinks

7 Steps to subtract sugar wise

Drinking water to replace the empty sweet drinks such as carbonated water, water and kordial shingle.

Hadkan sugar, sweetened concentrated milk, concentrated milk sweet stuffing and sweet creamer to a blade for every cup of tea Sahaja drinks.

Evasive add sugar in cooking. Provide kek kuih and low sugar content.

Elakkan sugary foods and drinks in between main meals and before bedtime.

Eat fruit for dessert to replace sugary foods such as kuih, kek and porridge.

Read the label and product elakkan menyenaraikan early portion of sugar in ingredients list.

Choose products labeled "low sugar" and "sugar free".

reference

Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 1999. Ingestion aligning Jawatankuasa Food and Nationality, Ministry Kesihatan Malaysia.

Recommended Nutrient Intake, 2005. National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition, Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Strategy for the Prevention of Obesity, Malaysia, 2005.

National Healthy Morbidity Survey III, 2006. Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey, 2002/2003. Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Food Balance Sheets, FAO 2008.

Malaysian Dietary Guidelines, 2010. A collection of Technical Working Diet Guide Malaysia. Ministry Kesihatan Malaysia.