WASHINGTON (AFP) - A row over sugar has been touched off in the United States as a result of Wednesday's World Health Organization (news - web sites) report that calls for limiting sugar intake for health reasons.
The Sugar Association, a lobby group for the US sugar industry, called the report "dubious" earlier this week after examining a draft.


The WHO report released in Rome along with Food and Agriculture Organization (news - web sites) recommended limiting sugar intake to 10 percent of total calories, linking sweeteners to a host of problems including obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.


But the US sugar lobby group said the WHO report is based on some studies as much as 30 years old, and neglected to reference a September 2002 study by the National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites) which gives more liberal guidelines for sugar intake.


The report "causes WHO's credibility to be called into question when (it) continues to assert that the 'best available science' was considered," the Sugar Association said.


"We will exercise every avenue available to expose the dubious nature of the Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases Report," the Sugar Association said in a letter earlier this month to the WHO director general in Geneva.


The group said it may ask Congress to eliminate the 400 million dollars the United States contributes to the World Health Organization because of the report, and that effort drew a sharp reply from some public health activists.


"Naturally, the sugar lobby would reflexively oppose any suggestion that sugar contributes to obesity and dental disease," said Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.


"But we're shocked by the bluntness of the Sugar Association's thuggish threats. Theres nothing sweet about Big Sugar's blackmail campaign, and we applaud WHO and FAO for resisting it."