In healthy adults, is provision of nutritional support effective for following a low dietary free sugars intake?

This is a mixed-methods exploratory research project exploring the barriers and facilitators faced by individuals attempting to reduce their free sugars intake in line with World Health Organisation recommendations and within the current food environment. There is growing concern that high intakes of free sugars increases energy intake and may reduce the intake of more nutritious foods leading to an unhealthy diet and weight gain. Also of concern, is the association between free sugars intake and tooth decay. To prevent and control unhealthy weight gain and tooth decay, the World Health Organisation recommends that the intake of free sugars be <5% of total energy intake/day. For an average adult, this is approximately 5 teaspoons of sugar per day. Free sugars are defined as sugars added to foods and drinks by the consumer, cook or manufacturer as a sweetener and includes honey, fruit juices, syrups and purees. Previous studies have indicated it may be difficult for people to adhere to the World Health Organisation free sugars recommendation, and facilitators and barriers to adherence are unknown. It is also unknown whether adhering to a diet low in free sugars is associated with other dietary changes that can affect health (it is likely that such changes will be beneficial to health but this has not been tested). Therefore, more research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of dietary support aids, and to explore whether diets low in free sugars are associated with other dietary changes that may influence cardiovascular disease risk markers.