It’s hard to imagine life without sugar. Even if you’re avoiding the obvious cakes, ice cream, or candy, it still can be found in a lot of “everyday” foods. But how much sugar is too much?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that people age two years or older should limit added sugar intake to less than 10% of their total daily calories. What that means, per their guidelines: “For a 2,000 calorie diet, no more than 200 calories should come from added sugars. 200 calories equal about 12 teaspoons of added sugar from both food and beverages.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends eating a maximum of 50 grams (about 12 teaspoons), but preferably no more than 25 grams (about 6 teaspoons) of sugar per day.
To put that into perspective, a can of Coca-Cola has about 10 teaspoons of sugar. But even supposedly healthy foods like a small container of strawberry yogurt contains over 3 teaspoons of sugar. When you think about your diet on the whole, it can add up. Most of us consume at least twice or even four times as much sugar as recommended.
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In fact, most of the sugar we consume isn’t intentional. We may pass on the sweets and lemonade, but it’s still hidden in a lot of processed foods. It’s also not always easy to recognize in the list of ingredients.
Hidden sugars
Sugar often appears in lists of ingredients under many different names, which makes it difficult to recognize the actual sugar content of a product. Some common terms under which sugar can appear in foods include:
- Sucrose: the chemical term for table sugar.
- Glucose or glucose syrup: dextrose, often found in processed foods.
- Fructose: fruit sugar, often found in fruit or corn syrup.
- Corn syrup (high-fructose corn syrup): highly processed sugar syrup used in many soft drinks.
- Maltose: malt sugar, often found in bread and beer.
- Dextrose: another form of glucose.
- Lactose: milk sugar found in dairy products.
- Invert sugar: a sugar that results from the breakdown of sucrose and is found in many confectionery products.
- Honey: often perceived as “natural,” but also a form of sugar.
- Agave syrup, maple syrup, or rice syrup: alternative sweeteners that also contain sugar.
TL;DR anything ending in “-ose,” as well as syrups and sweeteners, are clear indications of sugar.
This isn’t too say all sugar is bad; if we believed everything diet culture told us, no one would eat fruit anymore. But if you’re worried your sugar intake is creeping a little too high—for example, if you’ve noticed changes in yourself physically or psychologically that you’re concerned about—then it helps to know how to spot the signs. And remember, always speak to your doctor if you’re worried about your health or diet.
Signs you may be eating too much sugar
How can you recognize the signs that your sugar consumption is getting out of hand? We asked Dr. Lela Ahlemann, a specialist in dermatology, phlebology, proctology, and nutritional medicine for the possible warning signs that you’re eating too much sugar.
1.You’re always hungry
It’s no secret that sugar has a lot of calories, but there is another reason why sugar makes us gain weight so quickly. (Which, to be clear, gaining weight is not inherently bad—it’s the sudden gains that might signal an underlying cause.)
“If you eat too much sugar, you are constantly hungry,” says Dr. Ahlemann. “The reason for this is that sugar drives up blood glucose levels in the short term, but has no lasting satiating effect due to the lack of fiber.”
2. Acne
“When we eat sugar, not only does the insulin level rise, but also a hormone in the blood called insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1 for short,” says Dr. Ahlemann. “Together with insulin, this IGF-1 stimulates the sebaceous glands and excessive keratinization in the area of the sebaceous glands, which is why they become clogged—and pimples and inflammation can form there.”
3. Mood swings
“The high increase in glucose levels in the blood leads to an insulin release,” says Dr. Lela Ahlemann. This is often so strong that the blood sugar is not lowered to a normal level, but instead dips below the “baseline.” “You have a relative hypoglycaemia, and this leads to cravings. In some people, it also leads to mood swings and moodiness.”
4. Inflammation and a weakened immune system
“Normally, sugar is absorbed by the body via the small intestine,” says Dr. Ahlemann. “However, if the amount of simple sugars, such as glucose and fructose, that we consume exceeds the capacity of our small intestine, this simple sugar ends up in the large intestine.”
According to the doctor, it becomes food for bacteria that belong in the large intestine. “Selective feeding leads to a proliferation of these bacteria,” she says. “The problem is that, unfortunately, they carry endotoxins on their bacterial surface. These are so-called lipopolysaccharides. These endotoxins can then leave the gut, enter the bloodstream, and lead to silent inflammation, which accelerates the aging of the body and weakens the immune system.”
5. Your skin looks lackluster
As Dr. Ahlemann explains, “It is scientifically proven that the high intake of sugars leads to the formation of so-called AGEs (= Advanced Glycation End Products).” The expert compares the effect to caramelization. “In our collagen, the fibers should ideally run in parallel; when the tissue is saccharified, there are cross-links in the collagen connective tissue, which makes it stiff, brittle, easier to degenerate and—very importantly—the body is also less able to repair it if it is cross-linked. This means that the quality of our collagen deteriorates.”
About the expert
Dr. Lela Ahlemann is a specialist in dermatology, phlebology, proctology and nutritional medicine. She has been running two private practices since 2013; one in Hagen and one in Dortmund on Lake Phoenix. On social media, she provides insights into her work, explains the background and treatment methods in videos, gives valuable tips for a healthy lifestyle – for example, what you should eat for healthy intestinal flora and beautiful skin – and shares recipe ideas. For example, for a beauty drink made from tomato paste, hot water and vegetable broth. If you want to know more, follow her on Instagram, @dr.ahlemann, and TikTok: @dr.lela_ahlemann
A version of this story was previously published in Vogue Germany.
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