The Bittersweet Truth: Why Sugar is Harmful to Health
By Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Sugar is a ubiquitous ingredient in the typical American diet. It’s found in thousands of foods, including well-known culprits like sugary beverages and lesser known offenders like condiments.
There’s no denying that sugar adds a sweetness to foods that’s difficult to resist, and because of this, it’s incredibly easy to overeat.
And while it’s OK to enjoy some sugar in moderation, consistently overdoing your intake of refined sugars can present a number of health problems.
In this article, you’ll learn the major risks of consuming too much sugar, the recommended limits on sugar intake, and the many benefits of reducing sugar consumption.
Health Risks of Too Much Sugar
One of the most obvious consequences of eating too much sugar is the development of dental caries (cavities). But there are several other issues that can happen underneath the surface when you constantly satisfy your sweet tooth:
Weight Gain
High sugar consumption can contribute to weight gain in a number of ways. For one, foods that are high in added sugar also tend to be in high calories, such as ice cream, cookies, cakes, and pastries. Consuming a lot of these foods can of course contribute to excess calorie intake and resulting weight gain.
In addition, eating sugary foods (or drinking soda), especially in the absence of other nutritious foods, can lead to a sudden spike in blood sugar followed by an energy crash. As a result, you may feel hungry shortly after eating a high sugar food and reach for similar foods to compensate. It can be easy to overeat as this cycle continues, leading to weight gain (1).
Type 2 Diabetes
Excessive intake of refined sugars, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages, has been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes. Since obesity is a risk factors for type 2 diabetes, high consumption of sugar that leads to weight gain may in turn contribute to the development of this disease (2).
Another possible reason behind the link between type 2 diabetes and sugar intake is insulin resistance that may result from constantly eating foods that raise blood sugar, thus signaling the pancreas to produce insulin. When cells become resistant to insulin (the hormone that helps take up sugar from the blood), this can lead to chronically elevated blood sugar levels and a greater risk of developing diabetes (3, 4).
Inflammation and Related Chronic Diseases
Eating too much sugar, as well as too many refined carbohydrates (breads, pastas, etc that are made from white flour) may lead to elevated markers of inflammation in the body (5, 6, 7).
Chronic, low-grade inflammation has been associated with an increased risk of several diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. This is likely because inflammation may contribute to an environment that damages cells, promotes tumor growth, and accelerates plaque deposition in arteries (8, 9).
While the exact mechanisms of how high sugar intake impacts inflammation and in turn contributes to chronic diseases is not fully understood, several studies have highlighted a link between refined sugar consumption and disease (10, 11, 12).
What’s more, low-grade inflammation and blood sugar swings caused by excessive sugar consumption have been linked to an increase risk of depression and poor mental health (13).
Acne
Since sugary foods lead to a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, they can contribute to overproduction of hormones and oil in the skin associated with the development of acne (13).
In fact, several studies have found a link between diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates and a higher prevalence of acne, especially among teenagers (14).
Natural Sugar in Whole Foods vs. Refined Sugars
After reading about the negative effects of too much sugar, you may wonder if natural sugars found in fruit have the same effects as white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and other refined sugars.
In short, you do not need to be concerned about the natural sugar in fruit. When you consume whole fruit, you also ingest fiber and many other beneficial vitamins and minerals. Fiber-rich fruit leads to a more gradual rise in blood sugar compared to foods that are high in refined sugars, which can help keep you full and prevent you from eating excess calories.
Some people also fear fruits since they contain the simple sugar fructose. In recent years, there have been several claims that fructose consumption plays a role in the development of obesity. However, these claims are based on studies that examine excessive fructose intake from sugary sodas and other beverages, not from fruit (15, 16).
In fact, several studies have suggested that fruit consumption can actually decrease the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, improve digestive health, and help with weight maintenance, due to the fiber and beneficial nutrients found in whole fruit (17, 18, 19).
Recommended Limits of Sugar Intake
Due to the health risks associated with excessive sugar consumption, health and nutrition experts have set suggested limits on the daily intake of added sugar from foods, including baked goods, ice cream, desserts, sodas, and candies.
The American Heart Association suggests no more than 150 calories from added sugar (9 teaspoons or 36 grams) per day for men and 100 calories (6 teaspoons or 25 grams) per day for women. Eating less than these amounts may be ideal for most people (20). Today, the average American consumes more than double this amount - about 20 teaspoons, or 80 grams, of sugar a day!
Benefits of Reducing Sugar Consumption
Since too much sugar can wreak havoc on your health, reducing consumption of high sugar foods can provide several benefits.
Some of the notable effects of cutting back on sugar include:
· Better and more sustained energy levels
· Improved mood
· Possible weight loss
· Clearer skin
· Better digestion
· A decreased risk for several diseases, including some cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes
Identifying Added Sugars
To help consumers identify “good” sugar vs. “bad” sugar, the FDA’s food label requirements now specify not only grams of total sugars, but how many of those total grams are actually added sugars . This addition shows a consumer how many grams of carbohydrates in a serving come from added sugars like table sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, and other sweeteners. Since current recommendations suggest no more than 10% of daily calories from added sugars, it’s helpful to know how much a food provides.
To identify specific foods that are high in added sugars, you must look at the ingredients list on the food label. You can see how much added sugar a food contains by seeing where “sugar” falls on the ingredient list. If it’s near or at the beginning of the list, that means the food contains a high amount of added sugar. If it’s towards the end of the list, there is likely just a small amount. But keep in mind that “sugar” can go by several different names and may appear several times on the list, including corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, fructose sweetener, and many others (20).
Tips for Reducing Added Sugar Intake
Cutting back on foods that are high in added sugar and reaching for fruit when you feel a craving are good ways to start reducing sugar intake. Consistently eating nutritionally complete meals with a balance of all three macronutrients – protein, carbs and fat - will also help you maintain steady blood sugar levels and reduce the urge to indulge in sugary foods.
For more tips on reducing sugar intake, check out our posts on kicking your soda habit and curbing a sweet tooth.
Note from Healthy For Life Meals: Our meal plans are low in added sugar, falling well below the recommended daily maximum recommendations of the American Heart Association, and we never use artificial sweeteners. Whether you choose our 1200 calorie, 1500 calorie, or 2000 calorie plan, you’ll receive nutritionally complete meals that will help you to reach your weight loss, weight maintenance, or other health-related goals.