Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRecommended LevelsRisks of Too Much SugarHidden SugarAdded Sugar SourcesSugar Reduction TipsCalculating Intake
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Recommended Levels
Risks of Too Much Sugar
Hidden Sugar
Added Sugar Sources
Sugar Reduction Tips
Calculating Intake
Since each person is different, how muchsugara person living withdiabetesshould have each day varies significantly. However, there are some general guidelines about sugar consumption. These rules can give you a sense of how much is too much for anyone. Only your healthcare provider, though, can give you an accurate answer about the grams of sugar you can safely consume in a day.
This article explains how sugar impactsglucose(blood sugar) levels, and it offers tips to identify sources of sugar, how much sugar a person with diabetes might consume, and how to work with your healthcare provider to stick to a diabetes-friendly diet.
How Much Sugar a Day Is Safe?
According to research results published in 2023, American adults average about 85 grams of added sugar in the diet per day. That’s 13% of their calories, though less than 10% is recommended.Those percentages rise to more than 14% in young children (ages 2 to 8) and 16% in older children and teens (ages 9 through 18).
If you have diabetes, your healthcare provider will probably advise that you eat even less sugar than this. In diabetes, your body doesn’t properly useinsulin, the hormone that helps you absorb blood sugar so it can be turned into energy or be stored for later. Unable to process the sugar, you develop high blood glucose (sugar) levels.
The exact amount of sugar that is safe to consume varies based on your specific situation. However, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) advises that people with diabetes avoid added sugars in beverages, limit foods made with added sugars, and replace them with healthier choices.
What to Know About Blood Glucose Levels
Risks of Too Much Sugar When You Have Diabetes
Eatingtoo much sugardoesn’t directly cause diabetes and its effects build up over time. But in those who are diagnosed with the condition, hyperglycemia can lead to more immediate and potentially life-threatening complications that includediabetic ketoacidosisandhyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome(HHS).
When a person with diabetes consumes too much sugar, many body parts, including the cells that produce insulin, are affected. Regularly having too much sugar will, over time, cause these cells to wear out, so your body won’t be able to make insulin at all.
This leads to more inflammation. Eventually, this inflammation can damage the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys.
Can You Get Diabetes From Eating Too Much Sugar?
Identifying Hidden Sugar
Other food labels may include molasses, rice syrup,agave nectar, and high fructose corn syrup (a contributing factor in metabolic diseases and even certain cancers).
These different types of sugar can have greater or lesser impacts on your blood sugar. The idea that “natural sugars” are better isn’t necessarily true; both natural and processed sugars are broken down into glucose and fructose.
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Common Sources of Added Sugars
There’s lots of added sugar in cookies, sodas, jams, and sweetenedbreakfast cereals. Yet plenty of “healthy” foods have sugar, too. They may even contain more sugar.
Here are a few examples:
Many of these foods have sugar-free versions so you can enjoy them without worry. But don’t confuse the terms “low fat” with “low sugar” or “no sugar added.” Low-fat foods and natural ingredients can still have added sugars.
Tips for Cutting Down on Sugar
You consume sugars via carbohydrates. Thetwo main forms of carbohydratesinclude:
You can track your daily carb intake. Choose foods lower on theglycemic (GI) index. The GI index measures the impact that different foods have on your blood sugar.
The ADA recommends that people with diabetes eat low or medium GI carbohydrates, like fresh vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Fresh fruits, such as bananas, can also be part of a diabetes-friendly diet, but they should be limited because they are high in natural sugars.
Even if you drink unsweetened juice, the amount of sugar in the juice or smoothie can have the same glycemic impact as a can of soda. At 12 ounces, that’s 10 teaspoons of sugar, or 160 calories.
Some good food choices low on the glycemic index include most vegetables and fruits, nuts, minimally processed grains, and pasta (both regular and whole grain).A low GI is considered 55 or less.
A Glycemic Index Chart of Foods to Help Manage Blood Sugar
Calculating Your Daily Allowance
If you have diabetes, it’s important to work with your healthcare provider to determine what your daily sugar intake should be.
For a person who doesn’t have diabetes, 50 grams of sugar daily within a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet may be acceptable. Although, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends half of that.
If you’re managing diabetes, the exact amount of how much sugar you should consume depends on several factors. For instance, your healthcare provider will help you to make adjustments if you are diagnosed withobesityand need to cut calories or if you are underweight and need an increase.
Summary
Having diabetes doesn’t mean that you can never eat sugar again. However, it does mean that you must be aware of hidden sugars and what percentage of your daily calories should come from sugar. This will involve reading food labels, choosing high-fiber, low-sugar carbs, and making deliberate food choices to manage your blood sugar levels.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Basak Tukun A, Rowe S, Johnson LK, Love DC, Belury M, Conrad Z.Micronutrient intake from three popular diet patterns in the United States: modeled replacement of foods highest in added sugar and sodium using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2018.Front Nutr. 2023 Oct 13;10:1217774. doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1217774.Bailey RL, Fulgoni VL, Cowan AE, Gaine PC.Sources of Added Sugars in Young Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Low and High Intakes of Added Sugars.Nutrients. 2018 Jan 17;10(1):102. doi: 10.3390/nu10010102.American Heart Association.Added Sugars.Vos MB, Kaar JL, Welsh JA, et al.Added sugars and cardiovascular disease risk in children: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2017;135(19):e1017-e1034. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000439American Diabetes Association.Food & Blood Glucose.American Diabetes Association.Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose).Harvard School of Public Health.Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar.Islam MK, Vinsen K, Sostaric T, Lim LY, Locher C.Detection of syrup adulterants in manuka and jarrah honey using HPTLC-multivariate data analysis.PeerJ. 2021 Sep 22;9:e12186. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12186.Febbraio MA, Karin M.“Sweet death”: Fructose as a metabolic toxin that targets the gut-liver axis.Cell Metab. 2021 Dec 7;33(12):2316-2328. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2021.09.004.Glycemic Index Foundation.Low GI explained.Harvard Health Publishing.A good guide to good carbs: The glycemic index.World Health Organization.Guidelines: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Basak Tukun A, Rowe S, Johnson LK, Love DC, Belury M, Conrad Z.Micronutrient intake from three popular diet patterns in the United States: modeled replacement of foods highest in added sugar and sodium using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2018.Front Nutr. 2023 Oct 13;10:1217774. doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1217774.Bailey RL, Fulgoni VL, Cowan AE, Gaine PC.Sources of Added Sugars in Young Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Low and High Intakes of Added Sugars.Nutrients. 2018 Jan 17;10(1):102. doi: 10.3390/nu10010102.American Heart Association.Added Sugars.Vos MB, Kaar JL, Welsh JA, et al.Added sugars and cardiovascular disease risk in children: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2017;135(19):e1017-e1034. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000439American Diabetes Association.Food & Blood Glucose.American Diabetes Association.Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose).Harvard School of Public Health.Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar.Islam MK, Vinsen K, Sostaric T, Lim LY, Locher C.Detection of syrup adulterants in manuka and jarrah honey using HPTLC-multivariate data analysis.PeerJ. 2021 Sep 22;9:e12186. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12186.Febbraio MA, Karin M.“Sweet death”: Fructose as a metabolic toxin that targets the gut-liver axis.Cell Metab. 2021 Dec 7;33(12):2316-2328. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2021.09.004.Glycemic Index Foundation.Low GI explained.Harvard Health Publishing.A good guide to good carbs: The glycemic index.World Health Organization.Guidelines: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Basak Tukun A, Rowe S, Johnson LK, Love DC, Belury M, Conrad Z.Micronutrient intake from three popular diet patterns in the United States: modeled replacement of foods highest in added sugar and sodium using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2018.Front Nutr. 2023 Oct 13;10:1217774. doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1217774.Bailey RL, Fulgoni VL, Cowan AE, Gaine PC.Sources of Added Sugars in Young Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Low and High Intakes of Added Sugars.Nutrients. 2018 Jan 17;10(1):102. doi: 10.3390/nu10010102.American Heart Association.Added Sugars.Vos MB, Kaar JL, Welsh JA, et al.Added sugars and cardiovascular disease risk in children: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2017;135(19):e1017-e1034. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000439American Diabetes Association.Food & Blood Glucose.American Diabetes Association.Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose).Harvard School of Public Health.Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar.Islam MK, Vinsen K, Sostaric T, Lim LY, Locher C.Detection of syrup adulterants in manuka and jarrah honey using HPTLC-multivariate data analysis.PeerJ. 2021 Sep 22;9:e12186. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12186.Febbraio MA, Karin M.“Sweet death”: Fructose as a metabolic toxin that targets the gut-liver axis.Cell Metab. 2021 Dec 7;33(12):2316-2328. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2021.09.004.Glycemic Index Foundation.Low GI explained.Harvard Health Publishing.A good guide to good carbs: The glycemic index.World Health Organization.Guidelines: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children.
Basak Tukun A, Rowe S, Johnson LK, Love DC, Belury M, Conrad Z.Micronutrient intake from three popular diet patterns in the United States: modeled replacement of foods highest in added sugar and sodium using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2018.Front Nutr. 2023 Oct 13;10:1217774. doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1217774.
Bailey RL, Fulgoni VL, Cowan AE, Gaine PC.Sources of Added Sugars in Young Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Low and High Intakes of Added Sugars.Nutrients. 2018 Jan 17;10(1):102. doi: 10.3390/nu10010102.
American Heart Association.Added Sugars.
Vos MB, Kaar JL, Welsh JA, et al.Added sugars and cardiovascular disease risk in children: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation. 2017;135(19):e1017-e1034. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000439
American Diabetes Association.Food & Blood Glucose.
American Diabetes Association.Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose).
Harvard School of Public Health.Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar.
Islam MK, Vinsen K, Sostaric T, Lim LY, Locher C.Detection of syrup adulterants in manuka and jarrah honey using HPTLC-multivariate data analysis.PeerJ. 2021 Sep 22;9:e12186. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12186.
Febbraio MA, Karin M.“Sweet death”: Fructose as a metabolic toxin that targets the gut-liver axis.Cell Metab. 2021 Dec 7;33(12):2316-2328. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2021.09.004.
Glycemic Index Foundation.Low GI explained.
Harvard Health Publishing.A good guide to good carbs: The glycemic index.
World Health Organization.Guidelines: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children.
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