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March 8, 2012 - Carbohydrate Nutrition News

The British Nutrition Foundation, The Dietitians Association of Australia, and The Australian Diabetes Council critique sugars "Commentary" published in Nature

A number of health professionals and Associations have responded to the misleading allegations in the commentary, "The toxic truth about sugar," which appeared in the February issue of the journal Nature. These include critiques from The British Nutrition Foundation and The Dietitians Association of Australia.

  • British Nutrition Foundation: "Sugar is a source of energy in our diet and it is certainly not 'toxic' in the amounts on average consumed in the UK and other European countries.. Overall, the commentary by Lustig and colleagues, published in Nature, does not reflect the current state of evidence around sugar and its association with chronic disease, as shown in some recent major systematic reviews." See: Facts behind the headlines - Is sugar really toxic?
  • Dietitians Association of Australia: "The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) believes it is simplistic and unhelpful to blame sugar alone for rising rates of obesity and other related health problems across the world. Labelling sugar as 'toxic' and 'addictive' and placing it in the same boat as alcohol is incorrect and misleading." Also see: DAA - sugar and obesityDAA - letter to media
  • Australian Diabetes Council:"This commentary is a provocative piece intended to encourage debate..'Sugar' is not the issue, it is far more complicated than that. The average Australian can do a lot to improve their diet, but casting sugar as the ultimate villain and calling for regulation is misleading, unfounded and unnecessary." Also see: Australian Diabetes Council's position on sugar - Australian Diabetes Council calls for balanced eating, not fad diets