6 Biggest Lies About Sugar

6 Big Lies You Should Know About Sugar

Expert Dietitian Özge Uçucu / 2021-09-26

1. “All sugar is bad.”

Wrong.

You've probably heard many times how we should eat less sugar. But what the experts really mean is that we should eat less added sugar. This is added sugar in foods — like the brown sugar in chocolate chip cookies or the honey you sprinkle on your yogurt. Added sugar is different from the sugar naturally found in some foods, such as fruit or milk. First, natural sugar comes with a package of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that help offset some of the negative aspects of sugar content, says Georgie Fear, author of "Lifetime Weight Loss with Lean Habits." For example, fruit has fiber, which causes our bodies to absorb sugar more slowly. There's also the fact that naturally sugary foods tend to contain less sugar overall. For example, you'll get 7 grams of sugar in a cup of fresh strawberries and 11 grams in a bag of strawberry-flavored fruit snacks.

2. “Minimally processed sugars such as honey, maple syrup, molasses are also harmful”

Wrong.

It's true that minimally processed sweeteners like honey or maple syrup contain more nutrients than highly processed ones like white sugar. But the amounts of these nutrients are very small, so they probably won't have a measurable effect on your health. All sources of sugar for your body are the same. Moreover, these natural sweeteners do not receive any special treatment in your body. The digestive system breaks down all sugar sources into simple sugars called monosaccharides. “Your body has no idea if it comes from table sugar, honey, or agave nectar. It only sees monosaccharide sugar molecules,” says Amy Goodson, MD. And all of these sugars provide 4 calories per gram, so they all have the same effect on your weight.

3. “You have to cut sugar out of your life.”

Wrong.

You don't need to cut added sugars out of your life completely. Different health organizations have different recommendations regarding the amount of sugar you should limit yourself daily. But they all agree that there is room for some sugar in a healthy diet. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines say that an adult eating 2,000 calories a day should have less than 12.5 teaspoons, or 50 grams, of added sugar per day. But the American Heart Association says women should drink 6 teaspoons (25 grams) and men 9 teaspoons (36 grams) a day. After all, your body doesn't need sugar. So Fear says less is better. That doesn't mean you can't have anything. In fact, everything is hidden in moderation, as you think.

4. “Sugar is making you sick.”

Wrong.

Maybe you've heard rumors that eating sugar will give you heart disease, Alzheimer's, or cancer. However, eating sugar in moderation will not steal anything from your life. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, which followed more than 350,000 adults for over a decade, found that normal consumption of added sugar was not linked with an increased risk of death. While a moderate amount of sugar may not seem harmful, eating too much sugar can put you at risk for weight gain. But it can also be too much potato chips, too much cheese, or even too much brown rice. "Excess total calories in our diets, including those from sugar, contribute to weight gain, which can lead to obesity and the likelihood of chronic disease onset," says Kris Sollid, senior director of nutrition communications for International Food Information. It wouldn't hurt to treat yourself to a dessert on Sunday mornings. If you go over your daily calorie limit, you may want to steer clear. Likewise, don't use this fact to force someone to eat candy against their will.

5. “Sugar is addictive.”

Wrong.

"Comparing sugar versus drug use is a simple shortcut," says Dr. Giuseppe Gangarossa, PLOS. According to experts, eating sugar stimulates pathways in the brain associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. Overlapping pathways can produce similar effects to substance use, but that doesn't make them addictive like drugs do, explains Ali Webster, deputy director of nutrition communications for the International Food Information Council Foundation. So why do some people rush so much when they eat sugary snacks and feel like they need a regular fix to keep them from crashing? Eating sweet foods causes your blood sugar to drop quickly, which can make you tired and have a headache. “This often causes people to seek out more sugar to stabilize their blood sugar and help them feel better,” Goodson says. Comparing sugar and drugs continues to be debated. A recent European Journal of Nutrition analysis found little evidence to support the idea that sugar actually has addictive, drug-like properties. Scientific American also notes that changing our food environment can help reduce these cravings. By staying committed to avoiding added sugars such as homemade breakfast pastries, quick cereals or yogurt, you may have less cravings for desserts when ordering.

6. “Starting on a no sugar diet will help you lose weight.”

Wrong.

Of course, limiting your sugar intake can help you reach your weight loss goals. But only if you also care about your overall calorie intake. "It's really easy to replace sugary foods with other foods that contain more calories, which can lead to weight gain," says Fear. Also, Fear points out that a low or no sugar diet may not guarantee weight loss. In other words, eating a 600-calorie egg and hot dog breakfast sandwich instead of your usual 300-calorie sugary cereal won't help you fall back into your tight jeans, even if the sandwich is much lower in sugar. So what helps? It would be better for you to prefer unsweetened versions of the foods you normally consume, such as plain yogurt, instead of vanilla.

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