Reducing sugar in packaged foods can prevent diseases for millions

Cutting sugar-packaged foods by 20% and beverages by 40% from 2.

A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Harvard University's Chen Zenghong School of Public Health, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOH) created a model To simulate and quantify the health, economy, and fair impact of the pragmatic sugar reduction policies proposed by the National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative (NSSRI)

However, implementing a national policy will require government support to monitor companies’ efforts towards goals and to publicly report on their progress

According to this model, 10 years after the NSSRI policy takes effect, the United States is expected to save US$4.

The researchers found that the NSSRI policy became cost-effective in 6 years and became cost-effective in 9 years

Efforts to reformulate products have proven successful in reducing other harmful nutrients, such as trans fats and sodium

Consumption of sugary foods and beverages is strongly associated with obesity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, the main cause of mortality in the United States.

Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, Dean of the Friedman School of Nutritional Science and Policy at Tufts University and senior co-author, said: "Sugar is one of the most obvious additives in the food supply and needs to be reduced to a reasonable amount

The main funding for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health

Shangguan is the attending physician of MGH and a medical lecturer at Harvard Medical School

About Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital was established in 1811 and is the earliest and largest teaching hospital at Harvard Medical School