Americans' high sugar consumption prompts urgent warning from health leaders

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is not sugar-coating anything when it comes to tackling Americans' health.

Last month, he announced a ban on petroleum-based synthetic dyes.

"Sugar is poison. And Americans need to know that it is poisoning us," Kennedy said at the time.

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While he does not think HHS will be able to eliminate sugar, he said he hopes that Americans will have a better understanding of the risks.

"I think what we need to do probably is give Americans knowledge about how much sugar is in their products, and also with the new nutrition guidelines, give them a very clear idea about how much sugar they should be using, which is zero," said RFK Jr.

"Sugar is poison. And Americans need to know that it is poisoning us," said Secretary Kennedy last week. (iStock)

California-based certified nutritionist Courtney Swan of Realfoodology told Fox News Digital, "I don't think Americans truly understand how much sugar [they're] actually eating on a daily basis."

"People think, 'If I'm not having candy and cookies or a soda, then I'm really not getting that much sugar.' They're not realizing that the sugar is in their salad dressing, soups and sauces that they're buying," said Swan.

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American adults consume around 60 pounds of sugar per year, according to the American Heart Association. 

It was also revealed that Americans consume more than two to three times the recommended daily allowance of sugar.

American adults consume around 60 pounds of sugar per year, according to the American Heart Association. (iStock)

"People are over-consuming and not even realizing how much they're having on a day-to-day basis," shared Swan.

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She brought up a recent example of high-fructose corn syrup as an ingredient listed on a pickle jar.

High-fructose corn syrup is a processed sweetener derived from corn starch, which Swan classifies as an "ultraprocessed, refined sugar."

Americans consume more than two to three times the recommended daily allowance of sugar. (iStock)

The syrup is "so far removed from its original source that it's not even recognizable as something that would be considered food anymore," Swan told Fox News Digital.

"What the whole [MAHA] movement is about — and everything that I have been talking about for the last 15 years — is that we're just not eating real food anymore," she said.

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Glucose and fructose are the two main sources of sugar, Swan revealed. 

"Glucose is what your body uses to create energy and fructose is something that completely bypasses that whole cycle and goes straight to the liver," she said.

People should save sugar to indulge in instead of consuming it as a hidden ingredient in other foods, said one expert. (iStock)

Americans should limit their consumption of fructose as much as possible.

Instead, they should opt for glucose, which bodies are able to burn off and use for energy, Swan advised.

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She also recommends that Americans remain cognizant of what they're ingesting and pay attention to food labels.

"If there's sugar in something that doesn't really need to be in there, that's a great way to cut it out," she said. 

One expert told Fox News Digital that the brain relies on glucose, or sugar, as its main fuel source. (iStock)

She added that people should save sugar to indulge in as a treat instead of consuming it as a "hidden" ingredient in other foods.

"I don't think Americans truly understand how much sugar [they're] actually eating on a daily basis."

Jillian Lampert, Ph.D., of The Emily Program, a national eating disorder care provider, told Fox News Digital that the brain relies on glucose, or sugar, as its main fuel source.

"The statement that 'sugar is poison' is overly reductive and misleading, since sugar is a simple carbohydrate found in vast numbers of foods consumed every day as part of a balanced diet, including those with naturally occurring sugars, such as fruits and vegetables," said Lampert, who is based in Minnesota.

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"Frightening the public about sugar" could lead to parents removing nutritious foods from their children's diets, she warned, potentially creating an unhealthy relationship with food.