COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new study may have identified why many U.S. adults unintentionally go over the recommended daily limit for saturated fat and added sugar.

What You Need To Know

  • A new study may have identified why many U.S. adults unintentionally go over the recommended daily limit for saturated fat and added sugar

  • The study identified “a longer list of popular sources that helps explain why it’s so hard to limit fat and sugar to the recommended 10% of daily calories.”

  • The study suggests that over-consuming certain foods—including chicken and ketchup—can risk health complications like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer

  • Through their analysis, researchers found that saturated fat represented at least 12% of daily calorie intake and sugar anywhere from 14-16%

An Ohio State University press release said the study, which was published in the journal “Nutrients,” identified “a longer list of popular sources that helps explain why it’s so hard to limit fat and sugar to the recommended 10% of daily calories.”

“Chicken breast is promoted as a lower saturated fat food, but it still has a little bit of saturated fat. But it is helpful to know how foods with smaller amounts also slowly add saturated fat in a stealthy way into the diet,” said first author Christopher Taylor, professor and director of medical dietetics in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at OSU, in a news release.

The study suggests that over-consuming certain foods—including chicken and ketchup—can risk health complications like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

Researchers looked at data on 36,378 adults for the purpose of creating a research tool, but they also recognize the value of this information to the regular consumer.

“Being able to meet less than 10% is to identify the big contributors, but also to be able to see where saturated fat and added sugar may still exist in other food choices,” Taylor said in the release. “It doesn’t make them poor choices – it’s about being aware of how the morning latte may be contributing.”

Here were the top sources of saturated fat:

  • Cheese
  • Pizza
  • Ice cream
  • Eggs

Top sources of added sugar:

  • Soft drinks
  • Tea
  • Fruit drinks
  • Cakes and pies

“Based on the USDA ‘What We Eat in America’ food list, other categories contributing to saturated fat intake include cold cuts, cream substitutes, fried potatoes and whole milk,” the release reads. “Categories with added sugar include tomato-based condiments, cereal bars, energy drinks and yeast breads.”

The study’s lead author and associate professor of oncology at Georgetown University, Susan Schembre, expressed that levels of added sugar in our food highlights a public health policy concern.

“It’s everywhere,” she said in the release. “It’s in so many unexpected foods, and often in surprising amounts.”

Through their analysis, researchers found that saturated fat represented at least 12% of daily calorie intake and added sugar anywhere from 14-16%.

Taylor said dietary recommendations typically recommend cutting out the big contributors such as pizza and ice cream, and that’s why this more inclusive list could be “eye-opening.”

“There are the foods that are higher in saturated fat and added sugar that are consumed frequently, and they get targeted, but there’s also that smaller cumulative effect of things that are generally perceived as healthy, but they’re all contributing just a little bit,” he said in the release. “And then when you top it off with some of those higher sources, it ends up taking you over the threshold for that 10% of the day’s calories."

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