Health experts in Lagos have called for a more evidence-driven understanding of sugar and its role in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), noting that long-standing assumptions linking sugar to diabetes and obesity may be oversimplified and not fully supported by conclusive scientific research.
The position was presented at a workshop organised by the Community Health Empowerment Foundation with the theme “Debunking the Linkages between Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs).”
An executive member of the foundation and public health expert, Dr Godswill Iboma, said sugar had been “demonised for centuries,” yet unlike tobacco and alcohol, whose health risks are undisputed, the evidence against sugar remains “disputable.”
He told participants that moderate sugar consumption had not been scientifically proven to directly cause diabetes or any other NCD.
Citing studies from the European Journal of Internal Medicine and Frontiers in Nutrition, he explained that while excessive sugar intake could contribute to calorie imbalance, major drivers of conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases include genetics, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, environmental exposures, and broader dietary patterns. “It’s not about sugar in isolation,” he said.
Iboma also noted that public debate often overlooks the biological importance of glucose as the body’s primary energy source, stressing that nearly every cell depends on glucose for survival. In some cases, he added, low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) could be more dangerous than high blood sugar, even for people living with diabetes.
He cautioned against classifying sugar in the same category as tobacco or alcohol, pointing out that the World Health Organisation has never recommended a ban on sugar or sugar-sweetened beverages but instead advocates moderation and reduced excessive consumption.
Addressing Nigeria’s SSB tax, Iboma argued that sugar taxes alone are unlikely to significantly reduce obesity or NCD rates without complementary interventions. He urged the government to ground public health measures in data and invest in nutrition education, physical activity programmes, stronger food industry collaboration, and improved consumer awareness.
He emphasised that journalists and public health communicators must interpret research accurately to avoid reinforcing misconceptions or causing unnecessary fear about food and dietary choices. “When science is oversimplified, the public suffers,” he said.
Iboma added that the root causes of NCDs are multifactorial, spanning genetics, lifestyle, and environmental conditions and warned that blaming sugar alone may distract from the broader, more comprehensive solutions needed to reduce the global burden of chronic diseases.
