FDA guidelines for labeling added sugar could save $31 billion in health care costs

The FDA’s 2016 mandate that added sugars in foods be labeled could save $31 billion in health care costs over the next two decades, according to a new study from health policy researchers at various institutions. The authors used a predictive model to estimate its long-term impact, and here’s a breakdown of those findings:

• Disease: More than 354,000 fewer people could have cardiovascular disease. Some 600,000 cases of type 2 diabetes could also be prevented.
• Cost: In addition to the health care savings, the guidelines could save nearly $62 billion in societal costs, such as lost productivity from illness.
• Reformulation: If companies did reformulate their products to have less added sugar, it would result in more than 700,000 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease and almost 1.2 million fewer cases of type 2 diabetes.