Abstract
Sugar and sweet consumption have been popular and intrinsic to Indian culture, traditions, and religion from ancient times. In this article, we review the data showing increasing sugar consumption in India, including traditional sources (jaggery and khandsari) and from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Along with decreasing physical activity, this increasing trend of per capita sugar consumption assumes significance in view of the high tendency for Indians to develop insulin resistance, abdominal adiposity, and hepatic steatosis, and the increasing “epidemic” of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases. Importantly, there are preliminary data to show that incidence of obesity and T2DM could be decreased by increasing taxation on SSBs. Other prevention strategies, encompassing multiple stakeholders (government, industry, and consumers), should target on decreasing sugar consumption in the Indian population. In this context, dietary guidelines for Indians show that sugar consumption should be less than 10% of total daily energy intake, but it is suggested that this limit be decreased.
Highlights
The most popular sweetener in the world, sugar, was invented in India
To identify articles documenting the sugar consumption trends in India, we carried out a literature search using the terms “sugar, sugar intake, sugar consumption in India, fructose, sucrose, harmful effects of sugar intake, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Indians” in the medical search database PubMed
It is important to note that, despite an elaborate literature search regarding sugar intake and its relationship with obesity and T2DM, only limited data are available from India
Summary
The most popular sweetener in the world, sugar, was invented in India. There is reference to sugarcane cultivation and the preparation of sugar in an Indian religious text, the Atharva Veda. Sugar became known to the world when the army of Alexander the Great came to India in 327 BC. They were surprised to see another alternative to honey to sweeten food, and described it as a “reed that gives honey without bees” [1]. While sugar is of considerable cultural and hedonic relevance in India, nutritionally it provides only “empty” calories (1 g of sugar gives 4 kcal). It lacks the natural minerals which are present in the beet root or sugarcane. We review the data regarding sugar consumption in India and review potential relationships of sugar intake with obesity and metabolic perturbations in humans
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