India new dietary guidelines limit sugar intake to 5 percent of daily calories

The new dietary guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) recommends no sugar for children under two years old and limiting sugar intake to 5% of daily calories for individuals over two. Another study by ICMR, in collaboration with Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, revealed that one in four Indians is diabetic, pre-diabetic, or obese, largely due to dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles.

Feeding infants and young children with food products containing added sugar has been shown to increase their risk of early childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases later in life, the guidelines stated.