About this Research Topic
Sugar is a carbohydrate commonly used as a sweetener in food and drinks. Although sugar provides a source of energy for the body, excess consumption is linked to a wide range of noncommunicable diseases, such as type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, various cancers, dental caries, as well as overweight and obesity - all of which are rapidly growing in prevalence globally, and particularly in low- and middle- income countries. Sugar is therefore an issue of major public health importance in terms of its contribution to a sizeable burden of morbidity and premature mortality across the world and across the life course – affecting infants, children, and adults.
This Focus Topic examines various dimensions of the issue of ‘added sugar’ to understand the dissonance between the strong evidence base showing harm and the as-yet limited policy response in most jurisdictions. The topic will address issues including the role of added sugars in NCD prevalence, the economic case for addressing added sugars, industry influence and interference, and the state of knowledge regarding effective interventions.
Various terminology and definitions of the types of sugar may be found in the scientific literature, including for example, “table sugar”, “total sugars”, “added sugar”, and “free sugars”. This topic will focus on ‘added sugar’, defined here as any form of sugar added to food and beverages by manufacturers during processing or preparation. These include, for example, sucrose in the form of white or brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. Added sugars differ from naturally occurring sugars, such as those found in fruit and milk, because they are added to foods and drinks rather than being naturally present.
Given the strong epidemiological evidence regarding its importance, The World Health Organisation recommends a range of policy actions to reduce sugar consumption, and evidence exists relating to the effectiveness of specific policies, yet progress is lagging compared to other aspects of healthy diet such as trans-fats and sodium reduction.
Papers of interest include, but are not limited to:
• The role of added sugars in non-communicable disease (NCD) prevalence
• The economic case for addressing added sugars
• Economic and market incentives for reformulation
• Industry influence and interference
• Effective interventions to reduce added sugar consumption
• Implementation issues related to strategies to reduce added sugar consumption
• Public-private partnerships to improve access to healthy, affordable food options, particularly to reduce added sugar consumption
• Reducing added sugar consumption in specific settings, for example, schools, workplaces, public institutions
This Focus Topic examines various dimensions of the issue of ‘added sugar’ to understand the dissonance between the strong evidence base showing harm and the as-yet limited policy response in most jurisdictions. The topic will address issues including the role of added sugars in NCD prevalence, the economic case for addressing added sugars, industry influence and interference, and the state of knowledge regarding effective interventions.
Various terminology and definitions of the types of sugar may be found in the scientific literature, including for example, “table sugar”, “total sugars”, “added sugar”, and “free sugars”. This topic will focus on ‘added sugar’, defined here as any form of sugar added to food and beverages by manufacturers during processing or preparation. These include, for example, sucrose in the form of white or brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. Added sugars differ from naturally occurring sugars, such as those found in fruit and milk, because they are added to foods and drinks rather than being naturally present.
Given the strong epidemiological evidence regarding its importance, The World Health Organisation recommends a range of policy actions to reduce sugar consumption, and evidence exists relating to the effectiveness of specific policies, yet progress is lagging compared to other aspects of healthy diet such as trans-fats and sodium reduction.
Papers of interest include, but are not limited to:
• The role of added sugars in non-communicable disease (NCD) prevalence
• The economic case for addressing added sugars
• Economic and market incentives for reformulation
• Industry influence and interference
• Effective interventions to reduce added sugar consumption
• Implementation issues related to strategies to reduce added sugar consumption
• Public-private partnerships to improve access to healthy, affordable food options, particularly to reduce added sugar consumption
• Reducing added sugar consumption in specific settings, for example, schools, workplaces, public institutions
Keywords: added sugar, public health, economic evaluation, health effects, policy interventions
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
