Apples surpass soft drinks as top sugar source for South Koreans
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The agency found that South Koreans consume an average of 3.93g of sugar per day from apples, accounting for 6.9 per cent of total daily sugar intake.
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SEOUL – Apples have emerged as the single largest source of sugar intake among South Koreans, surpassing carbonated beverages, according to data released earlier in January by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The agency found that South Koreans consume an average of 3.93g of sugar per day from apples, accounting for 6.9 per cent of total daily sugar intake. Sugar intake from carbonated beverages averaged 3.55g, or 6.2 per cent, followed by milk at 3.4g, or 5.9 per cent.
The findings are based on a survey of 6,802 South Korean nationals aged one and older conducted in 2024 as part of the agency’s annual nutrition survey.
Apples, carbonated beverages and milk ranked as the top three sources of sugar intake for both men and women, though the order differed.
Among men, carbonated beverages accounted for the largest share of sugar intake at 7.6 per cent, followed by apples at 5.9 per cent and milk at 5.4 per cent.
Among women, apples ranked first at 8 per cent, followed by milk at 6.5 per cent, while carbonated beverages accounted for 4.7 per cent.
Experts cautioned that naturally occurring sugars in fruit are not directly comparable to the refined sugars found in carbonated beverages or processed carbohydrates, which tend to have a greater impact on blood glucose levels when consumed in equal amounts.
“Both refined sugar and natural sugar are chemically the same,” said professor emerita Kwon Oran of nutritional science at Ewha Womans University. “However, refined sugar is typically consumed without dietary fiber, while natural sugar in whole foods comes with fibre and other components that help moderate its effect on blood sugar levels.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
