What is the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)?

The Tolerable Upper Intake Level is the maximum level of nutrient intake that possesses no adverse health risk if consumed by the general population. UL is considered the dietary reference value (DRV), and is not a recommended level of Intake; rather, it is a scientifically-derived ‘threshold’ below which the potential risk is minimized, and if the intake is above the considered value, then the health risk is more pertinent.

Some European countries have recently asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to set a science-based Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for dietary sugars from all sources. The scientific experts of the EFSA conducted reviews of 25,000 scientific papers in 2018 and 7,500 in 2020. One of the study bases was the linkage between the intake of sugar and different health problems such as the effects of pregnancy, dental caries, and chronic metabolic diseases.

However, the Upper Level of intake was not established since the health risk was increasing across all the doses, and due to this, no threshold value was identified. Therefore, the EFSA concluded that the consumption level of added or free sugars should be as minimum as possible. Public consultation with the EFSA on the draft opinion is still open for any scientific insights until the end of 2021.

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