{"id":12546,"date":"2025-04-23T08:15:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/?p=12546"},"modified":"2025-04-23T12:55:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T12:55:43","slug":"the-not-so-sweet-side-of-sugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2025\/04\/23\/the-not-so-sweet-side-of-sugar\/","title":{"rendered":"The Not-So-Sweet Side of Sugar"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Note: Some of the recommendations in this article may have to be modified for people with diabetes. Always speak to your health care provider before making changes to your diet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Para leer en Espa\u00f1ol, por favor haga clic aqu\u00ed<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Americans consume far more sugar than is recommended, and while it might taste good in the moment, the long-term effects of sugar are anything but sweet. What exactly is sugar doing to your body?<\/p>\n

Although sugar is necessary for your body to function properly \u2014 and a sweet treat is OK occasionally \u2014 too much sugar can have serious consequences for your health.<\/p>\n

What happens when you eat sugar?<\/h3>\n

When you eat foods that contain sugar, including carbohydrates, your body converts it into glucose, which is absorbed into the bloodstream to fuel your muscles and organs. Once glucose enters your bloodstream, your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin that binds to cells allowing glucose to enter the cell to be used for energy or be stored for later use. Insulin, therefore, helps regulate your blood sugar level.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen lots of sugar enters your bloodstream at once, the pancreas releases more than normal amounts of insulin to keep up,\u201d explains Mayda Hernandez, MS, RD<\/a>, a registered dietitian at Cooper University Health Care<\/a>. \u201cThis spike can lead to a sudden drop in blood sugar, which can make you feel tired and hungry again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consuming too much sugar also adds extra calories, which can lead to obesity. Studies suggest that being obese and having too much body fat can cause insulin resistance, a condition where your body does not respond normally to insulin. This condition increases the risk of diabetes.<\/p>\n

Natural sugar vs. added sugar<\/h3>\n

If you are trying to have a healthier relationship with sugar, it’s important to know the difference between natural sugar \u2013 sugars already present in foods like fruit \u2014 and added sugars, which have been added to processed foods.<\/p>\n

Added sugar comes in a wide variety of forms. Ingredient lists on packaged foods may include words like dextrose, maltose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, corn sweetener, and fruit concentrate. You can find these ingredients in candy, soda, baked goods, and even in some unlikely places such as ketchup, bread, salad dressing, and barbecue sauce. These types of sugar are likely to spike your blood sugar levels and trigger a significant insulin release.<\/p>\n

Natural sugars are found in fruits, vegetables, and milk. These foods are more beneficial for your health because they have a higher nutrient density than their artificial counterparts. Foods containing natural sugars will also keep you satisfied longer after a meal because your body digests these foods more slowly and absorbs the sugar more gradually.<\/p>\n

The FDA now requires information about added sugars to be listed on the Nutrition Facts label of every packaged food. Along with all information on the Nutrition Facts label, the amount of added sugars is important to consider when choosing foods and beverages.<\/p>\n

For example, a container of yogurt with added sweeteners might list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0Total Sugars 15g<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Includes 7g Added Sugars\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 14%<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This means that one serving of the product has 7 grams of added sugars and 8 grams of naturally occurring sugars, for a total of 15 grams of sugar. The 7 grams of added sugars represents 14% of the daily value (DV) for added sugars. As a guide, 5% DV or less is considered a low source of added sugar and 20% DV or greater is considered a high source of added sugar (Source: fda.gov).<\/p>\n

The effects of sugar<\/h3>\n

Consuming too much sugar is a primary contributor to obesity, diabetes, and certain cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, sugar can contribute to elevated cholesterol levels, disrupt healthy gut bacteria, and cause inflammation, hormonal imbalances, mood swings, and energy crashes.<\/p>\n

How much sugar is too much? Men should limit their intake to 36 grams, or 9 teaspoons, of added sugar daily. Women and children older than 2 should aim for less than 25 grams, or 6 teaspoons per day. If that sounds like a lot of sugar, consider this: the average 12-ounce can of soda has 39 grams of added sugar. That is more than the entire recommended intake of sugar for one day!<\/p>\n

How to reduce sugar in your diet<\/h3>\n

\u201cReducing added sugar from your diet is not so simple, given how common it is in our diets,\u201d Mayda says. \u201cHowever, by making small changes and understanding the difference between added and natural sugars, it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are a few tips to help you get started:<\/p>\n