Added Sugars and Risks for Your Health

Added sugar – many people don’t know the difference between sugars added to food versus the natural sugars in foods.  It is the added sugars that we need to be concerned about.  Nathan Myers, R.D., a clinical dietitian notes that it isn’t just the extra calories added sugars add to your day but all those added sugars can pose a risk to your health.  “Added sugar also increases your risk of developing a laundry list of serious health problems including being overweight and conditions related such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some cancers.” 

What is Added Sugar?  What is the difference between Added Sugar and the Natural Sugar in foods?

Added Sugar:  This is the sugar that manufacturers add to foods.  It can be the simple white table sugar, or brown sugar but it can also be high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maple syrup, molasses, corn syrup, or raw sugar.  FDA requires new food labels to clearly list the “added sugars” in a food.  You can also look at the ingredients list to see if any sugars have been added to a food.

Look at labels for Added Sugars.

Natural Sugars:  these are sugars naturally present in a food like fructose in fruit or lactose in real cow’s milk.  The manufacturer doesn’t add sugar to a banana or an apple.  Foods with natural sugar also provide important vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.  Real milk provides protein, calcium, vitamins A and D and many other nutrients.  Fruit not only provides vitamins and minerals but also fiber and those antioxidants that are so important to good health.  (See Antioxidants and Good Health.)

What foods are sources of Added Sugars?  There are 2 main sources of added sugar in the American diet.

  •  Sugar Sweetened Beverages – Almost half of all the added sugar in our diets comes from sugared beverages.  Think soda, sweet tea, sweetened coffee, fruit drinks like Sunny D and lemonade, energy drinks.  CDC states: 
        “In 2011-2014, 6 in 10 youth (63%) and 5 in 10 adults (49%) drank a sugar-sweetened beverage on a given day.  On average, U.S. youth consume 143 calories from SSBs [sugar sweetened beverages] and U.S. adults consume 145 calories from SSB’s on a given day.”
  •  Desserts and Snack Foods – this would be the candy, cake, cookies, donuts, ice cream, pastries and other treats we all enjoy.  These added sugar treats account for about 31% of the added sugar in our diets. 
Drink 100% juice.

 What are the health risks of Added Sugars?

  1. Empty, useless calories – Natural sugars are found in whole foods that provide lots of nutrients as noted above.  Added sugars are loaded with calories but little else.  Almost no vitamins or minerals, no fiber and no antioxidants.  That is why added sugars are called “empty calories”.  Added sugars are empty of important nutrients your body needs.
  2. As you age, the effects of added sugars are worse.  As you age your metabolism slows down, you need less calories and it is more important than ever that those calories are from nutrient-rich foods.  The more foods you eat with added sugar, the less room in your diet for nutrient-rich foods.
  3. Can added sugars lead to a shorter life span?  Apparently so, as diets high in added sugar are linked to an increase risk of heart disease.  A JAMA Internal Medicine study, “found people who consumed 21 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugar were more than twice as likely to die from heart disease than those who kept it to less than 10 percent.”  Concerning since most adults in the U.S. consume 25% or more of their calories from added sugar.
  4. Added sugar is habit-forming.  When you eat foods high in added sugars, you get almost instant energy as added sugar is digested rapidly.  But then, the energy is gone and you may feel a sugar low.  So to boost their energy, some people eat more foods with added sugar.  But when you eat a banana, or an apple, you get the fructose sugar but not rapid surge in energy, as the fiber in the fruit slows the absorption of the natural sugar.

What are some ways to cut back on added sugar?

The Mayo Clinic has some suggestions:

  • Replace sugared beverages with water or low-fat milk.  Skip the sodas and sports drinks
  • Drink 100% real juice, not Sunny D or another fruit drink.  If it has added sugar, it isn’t real juice.
  • Cereals – choose cereals with less added sugars.
  • Canned fruit – choose packed in water and not packed in heavy syrup
  • Choose real food for snacks – popcorn, fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain chips

I enjoy my desserts.  Who doesn’t like some candy, cookies or cake?  But I try to avoid the added sugar in other foods like sugared sodas, fruit drinks, energy drinks.  Read some labels this week and you may be surprised to find how many foods you eat have added sugar.


Sources:  notes , manufacturers , Foods ,  Antioxidants and Good Health , CDC , treats , useless , JAMA Internal Medicine , Mayo Clinic    Image Sources:  sugar  , juice, label

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How does coffee and tea affect blood sugar?

Image
Who doesn’t love some morning coffee?   Or, on cold days, a nice hot cup of tea.   Does drinking coffee or tea affect one’s blood glucose levels?    Should healthy adults be concerned about coffee or tea and blood glucose levels?   The Mayo Clinic says that for healthy adults, caffeine will probably have no noticeable effects on their blood sugar or blood glucose levels.   Studies have found that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine is safe for most of us.   A cup of coffee has about 120-180 milligrams of caffeine and most adults drink about 2 cups of coffee a day.   FDA says healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day which equates to about 4-5 cups of coffee a day, or 10 cans of soda , or 2 “energy shot” drinks.   (See:   Caffeine – good or bad for your health? )     Can drinking coffee or tea reduce chances of getting type 2 diabetes? Some studies have found that coffee, tea, and other drinks with caffeine can lead to weight loss and a lower body mass index (BMI
Read more

Are there drinks that will help lower your blood pressure?

Image
According to the University of Southern California , almost half of Americans over the age of 20 have high blood pressure.   This means an astounding 122 million Americans.   Unfortunately, as you get older it is more likely to have blood pressure increase.   Many people don’t even know they have high blood pressure or hypertension.   The American Heart Association notes at first there are “no obvious symptoms to indicate something is wrong, but HBP can lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.”    A relative was asking what they could do diet wise to help lower their blood pressure.   We had already discussed the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).   (See:   Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024 .) and physical activity.    Diet wise, they were cutting back on sodium and increasing potassium foods but were wondering if there were anything else like any drinks that could help lower blood pressure?   The Cleveland Clinic talked to cardiologist , Luke Laffin,
Read more

How to eat for better sleep

Image
Having trouble sleeping?   Are there foods you can eat that would help you sleep?   My husband sent me an interesting article, 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep . According to CDC , “about 1 in 3 adults in the United States reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day.”   A lot of Americans have problems sleeping, about 50-70 million Americans.   You probably heard that drinking warm milk before bed helps one sleep?   Is this true?   What eating habits really do help you get to sleep and stay asleep? Sleep and hunger Did you know that getting a good night’s sleep affects hunger hormones in your body?   A good night’s sleep can lead to less snacking the next day as it keeps hunger at bay.   A professor of nutrition at Columbia University, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, says, “If you eat better, you sleep better and be more refreshed.   And that helps you make better decision for your diet.”      Some tips to eating habits for better sleep:         Focus on tryptopha
Read more