UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday called on countries to reduce sugar intake¹ among adults and children to less than 10 percent of their total energy intake.

According to WHO, a further reduction to below 5 percent or roughly 25 grams, that is 6 teaspoons² per day, would provide additional health benefits and reduce risks of obesity³, overweight and tooth decay, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"The guideline does not refer to the sugars in fresh fruits and vegetables, or to sugars naturally present in milk, but to glucose⁴, fructose, sucrose or table sugar, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups⁵, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates," Dujarric said.

Meanwhile, WHO warns that much sugar consumed today is "hidden" in processed foods that are not usually seen as sweets.

Based on the quality of supporting evidence, these recommendations are ranked by WHO as "strong", which means they can be adopted as policy in most situations, the spokesman added.