Evidence to support a food-based dietary guideline on sugar consumption in South Africa

Abstract

Since 1997, South Africa has been developing and implementing food-based dietary guidelines for people aged >6 years. The complexity of the population, which contains different ethnic groups, as well as the rapid urbanization that is taking place, means that food-based dietary guidelines need to consider both overnutrition and undernutrition. The initial guidelines did not include guidance on sugar, and the Department of Health was not prepared to approve them until appropriate guidance on sugar was included. This paper summarizes the evidence available for such a guideline and the nature of that evidence. Other low- and middle-income countries, particularly those in Africa, may face a similar dilemma and might learn from our experience.

Keywords

• Dietary sucrose/administration and dosage
• Dietary sucrose/adverse effects
• Dietary carbohydrates/administration and dosage
• Energy intake
• Diet/standards
• Dental caries/prevention and control
• Protein-energy malnutrition/prevention and control
• Obesity/prevention and control
• Nutritive value
• Micronutrients
• Chronic disease
• Food habits/ethnology
• Guidelines
• Nutrition policy
• Rural health
• Urban health
• South Africa/epidemiology
• South Africa/ethnology