On Subway "Bread", Sugar and Our Health
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon
Last week, Ireland’s Supreme Court ruled that the "bread" in Subway sandwiches had a sugar level about 5 times too high to be considered bread.
By Irish law, bread ingredients such as sugar and fat should not exceed 2% of the weight of flour in the dough.
(Note: Because of the ruling, Subway’s sandwiches will be taxed at 13.5%, rather than 0% that applies to staples).
Separately, a Scientific Advisory Report on Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025 (under review by the US Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Health and Human Services) recommends reducing a person's added sugar consumption to no more than 6% of total calories (the current guideline is 10%.)
Other comments from the report include:
"The high rates of overweight and obesity are an important public health problem in and of themselves, and they are a driver for prevalent diet-related chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. At present, 6 in 10 Americans have a chronic condition and 4 in 10 Americans have 2 or more chronic conditions.
"Nearly 70 percent of added sugars intake comes from 5 food categories: sweetened beverages, desserts and sweet snacks, coffee and tea (with their additions), candy and sugars, and breakfast cereals and bars.
"positive health outcomes [can result from] higher intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, lean meat and poultry, seafood, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils and low consumption of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, and refined grains.
"negative (detrimental) health outcomes were associated with dietary patterns characterized by higher intake of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and refined grains."
The chart below presents a selection of popular products and their sugar content (in grams per serving.)
Source: various
OUR TAKE
Regarding Subway’s “bread” – While the action in Ireland addressed a tax dispute, the incident brings attention to the high sugar content in some processed products – likely an issue at other fast-food operations.
Increased sugar consumption is a contributor to overweight and obesity rates around the world. These dynamics make people more vulnerable to health risks such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers - and COVID-19 complications.
Research linking sugar/fructose levels with Alzheimer’s disease is increasing (expect more coverage on the topic in the future.)
Better diet and exercise can help prevent many non-communicable diseases - which can result in disability and death.