New "added sugars" labeling could save money and improve health

(Reuters Health) – New mandatory Food and Drug Administration rules requiring labels of all packaged foods and beverages to indicate the presence of so-called added sugars could have substantial health and cost benefits , over the next two decades, new study suggests.

With the help of a computer model, the researchers determined that the labeling policy, which should come into effect between 2020 and 2021, could prevent nearly a million cases of illnesses. heart and diabetes, according to the report published in Circulation.

"Our study is the first to evaluate the potential benefits of FDA added sugar labeling for health and cost savings," said co-author of the study, Renata Micha, associate professor of research at Friedman School of Nutritional Science and Policy of Tufts University. "We found that over the next 20 years, the impact of FDA-added sugar labeling to entice consumers to choose a consumer could save nearly a million cases of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, net healthcare costs of $ 31 billion and societal costs of $ 62 billion. "

If labeling encouraged the food industry to reduce the amount of sugar used in its products, it could have even greater benefits, Micha said.

For their computer models, the researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES), which brings together a representative sample of nearly 5,000 people each year at the national level. Researchers examined 24-hour food intake forms completed twice by adults aged 30 to 84 years.

The impact of labeling on sugar consumption was one of the assumptions used in the modeling. Micha and his colleagues felt that people would reduce their added sugar consumption by 6.8% because of the labeling. In an analysis of what would happen if companies reformulated their products as a result of labeling, the researchers assumed an additional 8.25% reduction in added sugar intake.

These estimates of sugar reduction come from "real world studies in which the presence of a label on a product has elicited positive feedback from consumers," Micha said in an email. "As with any medical or public health intervention, our estimates represent the average effects on the population; for a given individual, there may be larger or smaller changes. "

A model based solely on changes in consumer behavior and no reformulation of the industry in response to changes in the label predicts 354,400 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease, 599,300 fewer cases of diabetes, 31 billion saving dollars in health care and $ 61.9 billion in societal cost savings. When researchers used the model with both label change and product reformulation, the result was 708,800 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease, 1.2 million less cases of diabetes, 57.6% more cases billions of dollars in health care savings and $ 113.2 billion in societal cost savings.

Micha suspects that the second scenario is a real possibility with the new labeling.

"Our work and that of others, including the recent experience with trans fat labeling in the United States, suggests that requiring additional sugar labeling would encourage the food industry to reduce the level of sugar content." in sugar from their products, "said Micha. "Some companies are already reformulating their products to reduce the added sugar content, in part because of consumer demand for healthier products."

The experts welcomed the new study, which provides a better understanding of how new labeling could affect the costs of health and health care.

"Overall, I think this is an important study," said Dr. Rekha Kumar, Endocrinologist at New York-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine and Medical Director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. "What I think is the biggest assumption is that people will know how to read food labels and actually read them."

The other basic assumption is that people "will understand the correlation between added sugars and long-term metabolic health," said Kumar. "For many, the connection is not immediate."

Consumers may need more education to make this connection, said Shelley Kendra, Clinical Lead for Food and Nutrition Services at Magee-Women's Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

"My hope is that the results will prove correct," said Kendra. "As cardiovascular disease and diabetes continue to increase, it would be great to be able to provide a simple solution, such as changing food labels. But I think that there must be an element of education involved. "

SOURCE: bit.ly/2ZcCmEm Circulation, online April 15, 2019.