11 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar Is Bad for You
From marinara sauce to peanut butter, added sugar can be found in even the most unexpected products.
Many people rely on quick, processed foods for meals and snacks. Since these products often contain added sugar, it makes up a large proportion of their daily calorie intake.
In the US, added sugars account for up to 17% of the total calorie intake of adults and up to 14% for children (
Dietary guidelines suggest limiting calories from added sugar to less than 10% per day (
Experts believe that sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity and many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
Here are 11 reasons why eating too much sugar is bad for your health.
Rates of obesity are rising worldwide and added sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages, is thought to be one of the main culprits.
Sugar-sweetened drinks like sodas, juices and sweet teas are loaded with fructose, a type of simple sugar.
Consuming fructose increases your hunger and desire for food more than glucose, the main type of sugar found in starchy foods (
Additionally, excessive fructose consumption may cause resistance to leptin, an important hormone that regulates hunger and tells your body to stop eating (
In other words, sugary beverages don’t curb your hunger, making it easy to quickly consume a high number of liquid calories. This can lead to weight gain.
Research has consistently shown that people who drink sugary beverages, such as soda and juice, weigh more than people who don’t (
Also, drinking a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to an increased amount of visceral fat, a kind of deep belly fat associated with conditions like diabetes and heart disease (
SUMMARYConsuming too much added sugar, especially from sugary beverages, increases your risk of weight gain and can lead to visceral fat accumulation.
High-sugar diets have been associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including heart disease, the number one cause of death worldwide (
Evidence suggests that high-sugar diets can lead to obesity, inflammation and high triglyceride, blood sugar and blood pressure levels — all risk factors for heart disease (
Additionally, consuming too much sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened drinks, has been linked to atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by fatty, artery-clogging deposits (
A study in over 30,000 people found that those who consumed 17–21% of calories from added sugar had a 38% greater risk of dying from heart disease, compared to those consuming only 8% of calories from added sugar (
Just one 16-ounce (473-ml) can of soda contains 52 grams of sugar, which equates to more than 10% of your daily calorie consumption, based on a 2,000-calorie diet (11).
This means that one sugary drink a day can already put you over the recommended daily limit for added sugar.
SUMMARYConsuming too much added sugar increases heart disease risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and inflammation. High-sugar diets have been linked to an increased risk of dying from heart disease.
A diet high in refined carbs, including sugary foods and drinks, has been associated with a higher risk of developing acne.
Foods with a high glycemic index, such as processed sweets, raise your blood sugar more rapidly than foods with a lower glycemic index.
Sugary foods quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, causing increased androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, all of which play a role in acne development (
Studies have shown that low-glycemic diets are associated with a reduced acne risk, while high-glycemic diets are linked to a greater risk (
For example, a study in 2,300 teens demonstrated that those who frequently consumed added sugar had a 30% greater risk of developing acne (
Also, many population studies have shown that rural communities that consume traditional, non-processed foods have almost non-existent rates of acne, compared to more urban, high-income areas (
These findings coincide with the theory that diets high in processed, sugar-laden foods contribute to the development of acne.
SUMMARYHigh-sugar diets can increase androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, all of which can raise your risk of developing acne.
The worldwide prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled over the past 30 years (
Though there are many reasons for this, there is a clear link between excessive sugar consumption and diabetes risk.
Obesity, which is often caused by consuming too much sugar, is considered the strongest risk factor for diabetes (
What’s more, prolonged high-sugar consumption drives resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance causes blood sugar levels to rise and strongly increases your risk of diabetes.
A population study comprising over 175 countries found that the risk of developing diabetes grew by 1.1% for every 150 calories of sugar, or about one can of soda, consumed per day (
Other studies have also shown that people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages, including fruit juice, are more likely to develop diabetes (
SUMMARYA high-sugar diet may lead to obesity and insulin resistance, both of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Eating excessive amounts of sugar may increase your risk of developing certain cancers.
First, a diet rich in sugary foods and beverages can lead to obesity, which significantly raises your risk of cancer (
Furthermore, diets high in sugar increase inflammation in your body and may cause insulin resistance, both of which increase cancer risk (
A study in over 430,000 people found that added sugar consumption was positively associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer, pleural cancer and cancer of the small intestine (
Another study showed that women who consumed sweet buns and cookies more than three times per week were 1.42 times more likely to develop endometrial cancer than women who consumed these foods less than 0.5 times per week (
Research on the link between added sugar intake and cancer is ongoing, and more studies are needed to fully understand this complex relationship.
SUMMARYToo much sugar can lead to obesity, insulin resistance and inflammation, all of which are risk factors for cancer.
Noom helps you adopt healthy habits so you can lose weight and keep it off. Your program is customized to your goals and fitness needs. Just take a quick assessment and get started today.
While a healthy diet can help improve your mood, a diet high in added sugar and processed foods may increase your chances of developing depression.
Consuming a lot of processed foods, including high-sugar products such as cakes and sugary drinks, has been associated with a higher risk of depression (
Researchers believe that blood sugar swings, neurotransmitter dysregulation and inflammation may all be reasons for sugar’s detrimental impact on mental health (
A study following 8,000 people for 22 years showed that men who consumed 67 grams or more of sugar per day were 23% more likely to develop depression than men who ate less than 40 grams per day (
Another study in over 69,000 women demonstrated that those with the highest intakes of added sugars had a significantly greater risk of depression, compared to those with the lowest intakes (
SUMMARYA diet rich in added sugar and processed foods may increase depression risk in both men and women.
Wrinkles are a natural sign of aging. They appear eventually, regardless of your health.
However, poor food choices can worsen wrinkles and speed the skin aging process.
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are compounds formed by reactions between sugar and protein in your body. They are suspected to play a key role in skin aging (
Consuming a diet high in refined carbs and sugar leads to the production of AGEs, which may cause your skin to age prematurely (
AGEs damage collagen and elastin, which are proteins that help the skin stretch and keep its youthful appearance.
When collagen and elastin become damaged, the skin loses its firmness and begins to sag.
In one study, women who consumed more carbs, including added sugars, had a more wrinkled appearance than women on a high-protein, lower-carb diet (
The researchers concluded that a lower intake of carbs was associated with better skin-aging appearance (
SUMMARYSugary foods can increase the production of AGEs, which can accelerate skin aging and wrinkle formation.
Telomeres are structures found at the end of chromosomes, which are molecules that hold part or all of your genetic information.
Telomeres act as protective caps, preventing chromosomes from deteriorating or fusing together.
As you grow older, telomeres naturally shorten, which causes cells to age and malfunction (
Although the shortening of telomeres is a normal part of aging, unhealthy lifestyle choices can speed up the process.
Consuming high amounts of sugar has been shown to accelerate telomere shortening, which increases cellular aging (
A study in 5,309 adults showed that regularly drinking sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with shorter telomere length and premature cellular aging (
In fact, each daily 20-ounce (591-ml) serving of sugar-sweetened soda equated to 4.6 additional years of aging, independent of other variables (
SUMMARYEating too much sugar can accelerate the shortening of telomeres, which increases cellular aging.
Foods high in added sugar quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased energy.
However, this rise in energy levels is fleeting.
Products that are loaded with sugar but lacking in protein, fiber or fat lead to a brief energy boost that’s quickly followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar, often referred to as a crash (
Having constant blood sugar swings can lead to major fluctuations in energy levels (
To avoid this energy-draining cycle, choose carb sources that are low in added sugar and rich in fiber.
Pairing carbs with protein or fat is another great way to keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable.
For example, eating an apple along with a small handful of almonds is an excellent snack for prolonged, consistent energy levels.
SUMMARYHigh-sugar foods can negatively impact your energy levels by causing a spike in blood sugar followed by a crash.
A high intake of fructose has been consistently linked to an increased risk of fatty liver.
Unlike glucose and other types of sugar, which are taken up by many cells throughout the body, fructose is almost exclusively broken down by the liver.
In the liver, fructose is converted into energy or stored as glycogen.
However, the liver can only store so much glycogen before excess amounts are turned into fat.
Large amounts of added sugar in the form of fructose overload your liver, leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition characterized by excessive fat buildup in the liver (
A study in over 5,900 adults showed that people who drank sugar-sweetened beverages daily had a 56% higher risk of developing NAFLD, compared to people who did not (
SUMMARYEating too much sugar may lead to NAFLD, a condition in which excessive fat builds up in the liver.
Aside from the risks listed above, sugar can harm your body in countless other ways.
Research shows that too much added sugar can:
- Increase kidney disease risk: Having consistently high blood sugar levels can cause damage to the delicate blood vessels in your kidneys. This can lead to an increased risk of kidney disease (
40 ). - Negatively impact dental health: Eating too much sugar can cause cavities. Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar and release acid byproducts, which cause tooth demineralization (
41 ). - Increase the risk of developing gout: Gout is an inflammatory condition characterized by pain in the joints. Added sugars raise uric acid levels in the blood, increasing the risk of developing or worsening gout (
42 ). - Accelerate cognitive decline: High-sugar diets can lead to impaired memory and have been linked to an increased risk of dementia (43).
Research on the impact of added sugar on health is ongoing, and new discoveries are constantly being made.
SUMMARYConsuming too much sugar may worsen cognitive decline, increase gout risk, harm your kidneys and cause cavities.
Excessive added sugar has many negative health effects.
Although consuming small amounts now and then is perfectly healthy, you should try to cut back on sugar whenever possible.
Fortunately, simply focusing on eating whole, unprocessed foods automatically decreases the amount of sugar in your diet.
Here are some tips on how to reduce your intake of added sugars:
- Swap sodas, energy drinks, juices and sweetened teas for water or unsweetened seltzer.
- Drink your coffee black or use Stevia for a zero-calorie, natural sweetener.
- Sweeten plain yogurt with fresh or frozen berries instead of buying flavored, sugar-loaded yogurt.
- Consume whole fruits instead of sugar-sweetened fruit smoothies.
- Replace candy with a homemade trail mix of fruit, nuts and a few dark chocolate chips.
- Use olive oil and vinegar in place of sweet salad dressings like honey mustard.
- Choose marinades, nut butters, ketchup and marinara sauce with zero added sugars.
- Look for cereals, granolas and granola bars with under 4 grams of sugar per serving.
- Swap your morning cereal for a bowl of rolled oats topped with nut butter and fresh berries, or an omelet made with fresh greens.
- Instead of jelly, slice fresh bananas onto your peanut butter sandwich.
- Use natural nut butters in place of sweet spreads like Nutella.
- Avoid alcoholic beverages that are sweetened with soda, juice, honey, sugar or agave.
- Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, focusing on fresh, whole ingredients.
In addition, keeping a food diary is an excellent way of becoming more aware of the main sources of sugar in your diet.
The best way to limit your added sugar intake is to prepare your own healthy meals at home and avoid buying foods and drinks that are high in added sugar.
SUMMARYFocusing on preparing healthy meals and limiting your intake of foods that contain added sweeteners can help you cut back on the amount of sugar in your diet.
Eating too much added sugar can have many negative health effects.
An excess of sweetened foods and beverages can lead to weight gain, blood sugar problems and an increased risk of heart disease, among other dangerous conditions.
For these reasons, added sugar should be kept to a minimum whenever possible, which is easy when you follow a healthy diet based on whole foods.
If you need to cut added sugar from your diet, try some of the small changes listed above.
Before you know it, your sugar habit will be a thing of the past.
Noom helps you adopt healthy habits so you can lose weight and keep it off. Your program is customized to your goals and fitness needs. Just take a quick assessment and get started today.
NUTRITION
Daily Intake of Sugar — How Much Sugar Should You Eat Per Day?
The excess consumption of added sugar is associated with a variety of preventable diseases (
It provides calories with no added nutrients and can damage your metabolism in the long run.
But how much is too much? Can you eat a little bit of sugar each day without harm, or should you avoid it as much as possible?
It’s very important to make the distinction between added sugars and sugars that occur naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables.
These foods contain water, fiber, and various micronutrients. Naturally occurring sugars are absolutely fine, but the same does not apply to added sugar.
Added sugar is the main ingredient in candy and abundant in many processed foods, such as soft drinks and baked products.
The most common added sugars are regular table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup.
To optimize your health, do your best to avoid foods that contain added sugars. Even the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugars to less than 10 percent of total calories per day (
Also, remember that added sugars can also include natural sugars. For instance, if you add honey to your oatmeal, your oatmeal contains added sugar from a natural source.
SUMMARYSugar that’s added to processed foods is much more harmful to your health than the natural sugar in whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
In 2008, people in the United States were consuming over 60 pounds (28 kg) of added sugar per year — and this does not include fruit juices (
The average intake was 76.7 grams per day, which equals 19 teaspoons or 306 calories.
According to this study, sugar consumption decreased by 23% between the years 2000 and 2008, mainly because people drank fewer sugar-sweetened beverages.
However, current intake levels are still way too high and likely haven’t changed much since then. In 2012, the average adult intake was 77 grams per day (
Excess sugar consumption has been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, tooth decay, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and more (5,
SUMMARYExcessive sugar intake is common. It has been linked to various lifestyle diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to this question. Some people can eat a lot of sugar without harm, while others should avoid it as much as possible.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are (
- Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons)
- Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons)
To put that into perspective, one 12-ounce (355-mL) can of Coke contains 140 calories from sugar, while a regular-sized Snickers bar contains 120 calories from sugar.
In contrast, the US dietary guidelines advise people to limit their intake to less than 10% of their daily calorie intake. For a person eating 2,000 calories per day, this would equal 50 grams of sugar, or about 12.5 teaspoons (
If you’re healthy and active, these are reasonable recommendations. You’ll probably burn off these small amounts of sugar without them causing you any harm.
Still, it’s important to note that there’s no need for added sugars in the diet.
SUMMARYThe American Heart Association advises men to get no more than 150 calories from added sugar per day and women to get no more than 100 calories.
Sugary, highly processed foods stimulate the same areas in the brain as illegal drugs (
For this reason, sugar can cause people to lose control over their consumption.
That said, sugar is not nearly as addictive as illegal drugs, and “sugar addiction” should be comparatively easy to overcome.
If you have a history of binge eating, failing to adhere to set rules about your eating (like cheat meals or days), and repeated failures with the “everything in moderation” approach, perhaps you’re addicted.
In the same way that a smoker needs to avoid cigarettes completely, someone addicted to sugar may need to avoid sugar completely.
SUMMARYIf you feel like you’re addicted to added sugar, consider avoiding it completely.
Limit these foods, in order of importance:
- Soft drinks. A single 12-ounce (355-mL) can of soda contains as much as 8 teaspoons of sugar (12).
- Fruit juices. Fruit juices contain the same amount of sugar as soft drinks. Choose whole fruit or canned fruit with no additional sweetening instead.
- Candies and sweets. Try to limit your consumption of sweets.
- Baked goods. These include cookies, cakes, and pies, among other pastries. They tend to be very high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
- Low fat or diet foods. Foods that have had the fat removed from them are often very high in sugar.
Drink water instead of soda or juices and don’t add sugar to your coffee or tea.
Instead of sugar in recipes, you can try things like cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract, vanilla, ginger, or lemon.
Try to be creative and find recipes online. You can eat an endless variety of amazing foods even if you eliminate all sugar from your diet.
Natural, zero-calorie alternatives to sugar include stevia and monk fruit.
SUMMARYReduce your sugar intake by limiting soft drinks, fruit juice, candy, and baked goods.
The best way to cut back on sugar is to limit your intake of highly processed foods.
This approach doesn’t require math, calorie counting, or reading food labels all the time.
However, if you’re simply unable to stick to unprocessed foods for financial reasons, here are some tips on how to make healthier choices:
- Know that sugar has many names. These names include sugar, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), dehydrated cane juice, fructose, glucose, dextrose, syrup, cane sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, and more.
- Check the ingredient list. If the ingredient list of a packaged food contains sugar in the first 3 ingredients or more than one type of sugar, consider avoiding it.
- Be aware of “healthy” high sugar foods. Know that other high sugar foods often labeled healthy fall into the same category. These include agave, honey, organic cane sugar, and coconut sugar.
You should consider reading nutrition labels. Even foods disguised as “health foods” can be loaded with added sugars.
SUMMARYIf you eat highly processed, packaged foods, avoiding all added sugar can be difficult. Make sure to read labels and be aware that food producers often disguise added sugar using alternative names.
At the end of the day, it’s important to figure out the sugar intake that’s right for you.
Some people can handle a little bit of sugar in their diet, while for others it causes cravings, binge eating, rapid weight gain, and disease.
Every individual is unique, and you need to figure out what works for you.
Noom helps you adopt healthy habits so you can lose weight and keep it off. Your program is customized to your goals and fitness needs. Just take a quick assessment and get started today.
Last medically reviewed on June 10, 2021
NUTRITION
The 56 Most Common Names for Sugar (Some Are Tricky)
Added sugar has taken the spotlight as the ingredient to avoid in the modern diet.
On average, Americans eat about 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day (
Most of this is hidden within processed foods, so people don’t even realize they’re eating it.
All this sugar may be a key factor in several major illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes (
Sugar goes by many different names, so it can be difficult to figure out how much of it a food actually contains.
This article lists 56 different names for sugar.
First, let’s briefly explain what added sugars are and how the different types can affect your health.
During processing, sugar is added to food to enhance flavor, texture, shelf life, or other properties.
Added sugar is usually a mixture of simple sugars such as sucrose, glucose, or fructose. Other types, such as galactose, lactose, and maltose, are less common.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires that the amount of added sugar that a food or beverage contains is listed on the nutrition facts label. The label must also list the percent Daily Value (DV).
Meanwhile, single-ingredient sugars and syrups, such as table sugar and maple syrup, have a slightly different nutrition facts label.
For those products, the label will include the percent DV of added sugar. This information may also appear in a footnote at the bottom of the label along with the amount of added sugar (
SUMMARYSugar is commonly added to processed foods. The FDA has defined “sugar” and requires that certain sugars be labeled as “added sugars” in food products.
In short, yes. Glucose and fructose — even though they’re very common and often found together — may have different effects on your body. Glucose can be metabolized by nearly every cell in your body, while fructose is metabolized almost entirely in the liver (
Studies have repeatedly demonstrated the harmful effects of high sugar consumption (6,
These include insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, and type 2 diabetes.
As such, eating excessive amounts of any type of sugar should be avoided.
SUMMARYAdded sugar goes by many names, and most types consist of glucose or fructose. Avoiding excessive intakes of sugar in your daily diet is an important health strategy.
Sucrose is the most common type of sugar.
Often called “table sugar,” it’s a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in many fruits and plants.
Table sugar is usually extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets. It consists of 50% glucose and 50% fructose, bound together.
Sucrose is found in many foods. A few of them include:
- ice cream
- candy
- pastries
- cookies
- soda
- fruit juices
- canned fruit
- processed meat
- breakfast cereals
- ketchup
SUMMARYSucrose is also known as table sugar. It occurs naturally in many fruits and plants, and it’s added to all sorts of processed foods. It consists of 50% glucose and 50% fructose.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a widely used sweetener, especially in the United States.
It’s produced from corn starch via an industrial process. It consists of both fructose and glucose.
There are several different types of HFCS containing varying amounts of fructose.
The two most common varieties used in foods and beverages are:
- HFCS 55. This is the most common type of HFCS. It contains 55% fructose, nearly 45% glucose, and water.
- HFCS 42. This form contains 42% fructose, and the remainder is glucose and water (
9 ).
HFCS has a composition similar to that of sucrose (50% fructose and 50% glucose).
HFCS is found in many foods and beverages, especially in the United States. These include:
- soda
- breads
- cookies
- candy
- ice cream
- cakes
- cereal bars
SUMMARYHigh fructose corn syrup is produced from corn starch. It consists of varying amounts of fructose and glucose, but the composition is essentially the same as sucrose or table sugar.
Noom helps you adopt healthy habits so you can lose weight and keep it off. Your program is customized to your goals and fitness needs. Just take a quick assessment and get started today.
Agave nectar, also called agave syrup, is a very popular sweetener produced from the agave plant.
It’s commonly used as a “healthy” alternative to sugar because it doesn’t spike blood sugar levels as much as many other sugar varieties.
However, agave nectar contains about 70–90% fructose and 10–30% glucose.
It’s used in many “health foods,” such as fruit bars, sweetened yogurts, and cereal bars.
SUMMARYAgave nectar or syrup is produced from the agave plant. It contains 70–90% fructose and 10–30% glucose.
Most added sugars and sweeteners contain both glucose and fructose.
Here are a few examples:
- beet sugar
- blackstrap molasses
- brown sugar
- buttered syrup
- cane juice crystals
- cane sugar
- caramel
- carob syrup
- castor sugar
- coconut sugar
- confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
- date sugar
- demerara sugar
- Florida crystals
- fruit juice
- fruit juice concentrate
- golden sugar
- golden syrup
- grape sugar
- honey
- icing sugar
- invert sugar
- maple syrup
- molasses
- muscovado sugar
- panela sugar
- rapadura
- raw sugar
- refiner’s syrup
- sorghum syrup
- sucanat
- treacle sugar
- turbinado sugar
- yellow sugar
SUMMARYThese sugars all contain varying amounts of both glucose and fructose.
These sweeteners contain pure glucose or glucose that’s combined with sugars other than fructose. These other sugars may include other sugars such as galactose:
- barley malt
- brown rice syrup
- corn syrup
- corn syrup solids
- dextrin
- dextrose
- diastatic malt
- ethyl maltol
- glucose
- glucose solids
- lactose
- malt syrup
- maltodextrin
- maltose
- rice syrup
SUMMARYThese sugars are comprised of glucose, either on its own or in combination with sugars other than fructose.
These two sweeteners contain only fructose:
- crystalline fructose
- fructose
SUMMARYPure fructose is simply called fructose or crystalline fructose.
There are a few added sugars that contain neither glucose nor fructose. They’re less sweet and less common, but they’re sometimes used as sweeteners:
- D-ribose
- galactose
SUMMARYD-ribose and galactose aren’t as sweet as glucose and fructose, but they’re also used as sweeteners.
There’s no reason to avoid the sugar that’s naturally present in whole foods.
Fruit, vegetables, and dairy products naturally contain small amounts of sugar but also fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds.
The negative health effects of high sugar consumption are due to the massive amount of added sugar that’s present in the Western diet.
The most effective way to reduce your sugar intake is to eat mostly whole and minimally processed foods.
However, if you decide to buy packaged foods, be on the lookout for the many different names that sugar goes by.
Noom helps you adopt healthy habits so you can lose weight and keep it off. Your program is customized to your goals and fitness needs. Just take a quick assessment and get started today.
Last medically reviewed on June 26, 2020
NUTRITION
8 Ways Food Companies Hide the Sugar Content of Foods
Eating a lot of added sugar is bad for your health.
It’s been linked to illnesses like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease (
What’s more, research shows that many people eat too much added sugar. In fact, the average American may be eating around 15 teaspoons (60 grams) of added sugar per day (
However, most people aren’t pouring lots of sugar on their food.
A large part of your daily sugar intake is hidden inside various packaged and processed foods, many of which are marketed as healthy.
Here are 8 ways that food companies hide the sugar content of foods.
Sugar is the general name given to the short-chain carbs that give your food a sweet taste. However, sugar has many different forms and names.
You may recognize some of these names, such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Others are harder to identify.
Because food companies often use sugars with unusual names, this ingredient can be difficult to spot on labels.
Dry sugar
To stop yourself from accidentally eating too much sugar, look out for these added sugars on food labels:
- Barley malt
- Beet sugar
- Brown sugar
- Buttered sugar
- Cane juice crystals
- Cane sugar
- Caster sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Corn sweetener
- Crystalline fructose
- Date sugar
- Dextran, malt powder
- Ethyl maltol
- Fruit juice concentrate
- Golden sugar
- Invert sugar
- Maltodextrin
- Maltose
- Muscovado sugar
- Panela
- Palm sugar
- Organic raw sugar
- Rapadura sugar
- Evaporated cane juice
- Confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
Syrups
Sugar is also added to foods in the form of syrups. Syrups are usually thick liquids made from large quantities of sugar dissolved in water.
They are found in a wide variety of foods but most often in cold drinks or other liquids.
Common syrups to look out for on food labels include:
- Agave nectar
- Carob syrup
- Golden syrup
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Honey
- Malt syrup
- Maple syrup
- Molasses
- Oat syrup
- Rice bran syrup
- Rice syrup
SUMMARYSugar has many different names and forms, which can make it difficult to spot on food labels. Watch out for syrups as well.
Ingredients are listed by weight on packaged foods, with the main ingredients listed first. The more of one item, the higher up on the list it appears.
Food manufacturers often take advantage of this. To make their products appear healthier, some use smaller amounts of three or four types of sugar in a single product.
These sugars then appear further down on the ingredients list, making a product look low in sugar — when sugar is one of its main ingredients.
For example, some protein bars — while considered healthy — are very high in added sugar. There may be as much as 7.5 teaspoons (30 grams) of added sugar in a single bar.
When you read food labels, look out for multiple types of sugar.
SUMMARYFood companies may use three or four different types of sugar in a single product, making it appear lower in sugar than it is.
It’s common sense that a piece of cake or a candy bar probably harbors a lot of sugar.
Still, some food manufacturers pour sugar into foods that aren’t always considered sweet. Examples include breakfast cereals, spaghetti sauce, and yogurt.
Some yogurt cups can contain as many as 6 teaspoons (29 grams) of sugar.
Even whole-grain breakfast bars, which may seem like a healthy choice, can pack up to 4 teaspoons (16 grams) of sugar.
As many people don’t realize that these foods have added sugar, they’re unaware of how much they’re consuming.
If you’re buying packaged or processed foods, make sure you read the label and check the sugar content — even if you think the food is healthy.
SUMMARYSugar is hidden in many foods — even ones that don’t taste sweet. Make sure to check the labels of packaged or processed foods.
Food companies also make some of their products appear benign by swapping sugar for an alternative sweetener that’s considered healthy.
These unrefined sweeteners are usually made from the sap, fruit, flowers, or seeds of plants. Agave nectar is one example.
Products with these sweeteners often feature labels like “contains no refined sugar” or “refined sugar-free.” This simply means that they don’t contain white sugar.
These sugars can appear healthier, since some may have a slightly lower glycemic index (GI) score than regular sugar and provide a few nutrients.
However, the amount of nutrients these sugars provide is usually very low. What’s more, unrefined sugar is still added sugar.
Currently, no evidence suggests that it’s beneficial to swap one form of sugar for another, particularly if you’re still eating too much overall.
Common high-sugar sweeteners that are often labeled healthy include:
- Agave syrup
- Birch syrup
- Coconut sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Raw sugar
- Cane sugar
- Sugar beet syrup
If you see these sweeteners on a food label, remember that they’re still sugar and should be eaten sparingly.
SUMMARYFood manufacturers sometimes replace white table sugar with unrefined products. While this can make the product appear healthier, unrefined sugar is still sugar.
Certain foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, contain naturally occurring sugars. Unlike added sugar, these usually aren’t a health concern.
This is because naturally occurring sugars are generally difficult to eat in large amounts.
Although some fruits contain high amounts of naturally occurring sugar, their fiber and antioxidant contents mitigate the rise in blood sugar. Fiber in fruits and vegetables is also quite filling, making these foods harder to overeat.
Additionally, whole foods provide many beneficial nutrients that can reduce your risk of disease.
For example, one cup (240 ml) of milk contains 3 teaspoons (13 grams) of sugar. Yet, you also get 8 grams of protein and around 25% of your daily requirements for calcium and vitamin D (11).
The same size serving of Coke contains nearly twice the amount of sugar and no other nutrients (12).
Keep in mind that food labels don’t distinguish between natural and added sugars. Instead, they list all of the sugars as a single amount.
This makes it tricky to identify how much sugar is found naturally in your food and how much is added.
However, if you’re eating mostly whole, unprocessed foods — as opposed to packaged or processed items — most of the sugars you’ll consume will be natural.
SUMMARYFood labels often lump added and naturally occurring sugar together into one total amount. Thus, it can be hard to determine how much sugar is added to certain products.
It’s not always easy to tell which products on the shelf are healthy and which aren’t.
Manufacturers often plaster their packaging with health claims, making some items seem healthy when they’re really full of added sugar.
The most common examples include labels like “natural,” “healthy,” “low-fat,” “diet,” and “light.” While these products may be low in fat and calories, they’re often packed with added sugar.
Do your best to ignore these claims and carefully read the label instead.
SUMMARYProducts with health claims, such as “diet,” “natural,” or “low-fat,” may still be loaded with sugar.
The food industry regularly makes the listed portion size small in order to distort your sense of how much sugar you’re consuming.
In other words, a single product, such as a mini pizza or bottle of soda, may be composed of several servings.
While the amount of sugar in each of these servings might be low, you would typically eat two or three times that amount in one sitting.
To avoid this trap, carefully examine the number of servings per container.
If a small food item has multiple servings, you might end up eating more sugar than you intended.
SUMMARYFood companies often reduce the portion size to make products appear lower in sugar.
You might know that some of your favorite brands of food are low in sugar.
However, manufacturers sometimes piggyback on an established brand by releasing a new version that packs far more sugar.
This practice is quite common with breakfast cereals. For example, a whole-grain cereal that’s low in sugar may appear in newfangled packaging with added flavors or different ingredients.
This can confuse people who assume that the new version is just as healthy as their usual choice.
If you’ve noticed different packaging for some of your frequent purchases, be sure to check the labels.
SUMMARYLow-sugar brands may still spin out high-sugar products, potentially attracting loyal customers who may not realize the new version isn’t as healthy as the original.
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