The sweet danger of sugar

Sugar has a bittersweet reputation when it comes to health. Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy. Consuming whole foods that contain natural sugar is okay; for example, plant foods also have high amounts of fiber, essential minerals, and antioxidants, and dairy foods contain protein and calcium.

Since your body digests whole foods slowly, the sugar in them offers a steady supply of energy to your cells. A high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

Consuming too much sugar

However, problems occur when you consume too much added sugar - that is, sugar that's added to foods to make them sweeter or extend shelf life.

Common sources of added sugar are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yogurts, ready-to-eat cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, and most processed foods. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, such as soup, bread, cured meat, and ketchup.

The result: We consume way too much added sugar. On average, US adults take in 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day. Sweetened beverages and bakery products are the top culprits.

Eating too much sugar is well known for raising the risk of obesity and diabetes, but many people may be surprised to learn that their taste for sugar can have a serious impact on their heart health.

Impact on your heart

A study published in 2023 in BMC Medicine analyzed data from more than 110,000 people followed for an average of about nine years. Researchers found that eating higher amounts of added sugars (including sugars in honey and fruit juice) was linked with higher risks of heart disease and stroke. The higher the added sugar intake, the higher the risk.

Sugar intake appears to affect heart health in several indirect ways. For instance, high amounts of sugar overload the liver, where dietary carbohydrates are converted to fat. Over time, this can lead to a greater accumulation of fat, which may turn into fatty liver disease, a contributor to diabetes, which raises your risk for heart disease.

Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease. Excess consumption of sugar, especially in sugary beverages, also contributes to weight gain by tricking your body into turning off its appetite-control system. Liquid calories are not as satisfying as calories from solid foods, so it is easier for people to consume extra calories when drinking sugary beverages.

All of these negative effects of excess added sugar intake - higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease - are linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

How much added sugar is okay?

What is the right amount of added sugar? As little as possible.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 established a Daily Value for added sugar of 50 grams (200 calories) in a 2,000-calorie diet. This translates to 10% of total calories, and it is what's listed on food nutrition labels.

The most recent update, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030, recommends that no meal should contain more than 10 grams (2.5 teaspoons) of added sugars. The guidelines also state that grain-based foods labeled "healthy" must contain no more than 5 grams of added sugars per serving, and dairy-based foods labeled "healthy" must contain no more than 2.5 grams of added sugars per serving.

Subtracting added sugar

Food nutrition labels now include information about added sugars, so reading food labels is an easy way to monitor your intake. Note the number of grams of sugar per serving, as well as the total number of servings. While the amount of added sugar per serving in a food may seem low, often we eat more than one serving, so the grams add up.

Also, keep track of sugar you add to food or beverages such as oatmeal, coffee, and tea. And remember that the teaspoons used in dietary guidelines are measuring spoons, not kitchen teaspoons: a spoon from your silverware drawer can hold as much as 8 grams of sugar.

While it's important to cut back on added sugar, be aware that dramatically restricting sweets can backfire and cause cravings. Cut back gradually and try to find whole foods, like fruit, to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Where does your added sugar come from?

This table shows the top sources of added sugar in the daily diets of children and adults.

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