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Jan 11, 2024 · If you eat too much sugar, will you get diabetes? The answer isn’t so straightforward. ... Dairy products contain this type of sugar. Other foods contain added sugar. Some common names for added ...
- Overview
- What Is Diabetes?
- How Sugar Is Metabolized
- Does Sugar Increase Your Risk of Diabetes?
- Natural Sugars Don’t Have the Same Effect
- Do Artificial Sweeteners Increase Diabetes Risk?
- Other Risk Factors for Diabetes
- How to Eat to Lower Your Risk of Diabetes
- The Bottom Line
Since diabetes is a disease characterized by high blood sugar levels, many people wonder whether eating sugar can cause it.
While it’s true that eating large amounts of added sugar may increase your risk of diabetes, sugar intake is just one piece of the puzzle.
Many other factors — including overall diet, lifestyle and genetics — also impact your risk.
This article reviews sugar’s role in developing diabetes and provides tips for preventing the disease.
Diabetes occurs when your body is no longer able to effectively regulate blood sugar levels.
This can happen when your pancreas stops producing enough insulin, when your cells become resistant to the insulin that is produced or both (1).
Insulin is the hormone required to move sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells — so both scenarios result in chronically elevated blood sugar levels.
High blood sugar levels over a long period can lead to complications like an increased risk of heart disease, as well as nerve and kidney damage, so it is important to keep them in check (2).
There are two main types of diabetes, each with different causes:
•Type 1: Occurs when your immune system attacks your pancreas, destroying its ability to produce insulin.
When most people talk about sugar, they’re referring to sucrose, or table sugar, which is made from sugar beets or sugarcane.
Sucrose is made up of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose bonded together.
When you eat sucrose, the glucose and fructose molecules are separated by enzymes in your small intestine before being absorbed into your bloodstream (5).
This raises blood sugar levels and signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin shuttles glucose out of the bloodstream and into your cells where it can be metabolized for energy.
While a small amount of fructose can also be taken up by cells and used for energy, the majority is carried to your liver where it is converted to either glucose for energy or fat for storage (6).
If you eat more sugar than your body can use for energy, the excess will be converted into fatty acids and stored as body fat.
A large number of studies have found that people who regularly drink sugar-sweetened beverages have a roughly 25% greater risk of type 2 diabetes (10).
In fact, drinking just one sugar-sweetened beverage per day increases your risk by 13%, independent of any weight gain it may cause (11).
Additionally, countries where sugar consumption is highest also have the highest rates of type 2 diabetes, while those with the lowest consumption have the lowest rates (12).
The link between sugar intake and diabetes still holds even after controlling for total calorie intake, body weight, alcohol consumption and exercise (13).
While these studies do not prove that sugar causes diabetes, the association is strong.
Many researchers believe that sugar increases diabetes risk both directly and indirectly.
While eating large amounts of added sugars has been linked to diabetes, the same is not true for natural sugars (21).
Natural sugars are sugars that exist in fruits and vegetables and have not been added during manufacturing or processing.
Since these types of sugar exist in a matrix of fiber, water, antioxidants and other nutrients, they’re digested and absorbed more slowly and less likely to cause blood sugar spikes.
Fruits and vegetables also tend to contain far less sugar by weight than many processed foods, so it is easier to keep your consumption in check.
For example, a peach has approximately 8% sugar by weight, while a Snickers bar contains 50% sugar by weight (22, 23).
While research is mixed, some studies have found that eating at least one serving of fruit per day reduces diabetes risk by 7–13% compared to eating no fruit (24, 25).
Artificial sweeteners are man-made, sweet-tasting substances that cannot be metabolized by humans for energy. As such, they provide sweetness without any calories.
Though artificial sweeteners don’t spike blood sugar levels, they have still been linked to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (30Trusted Source).
Drinking just one can of diet soda per day has been associated with a 25–67% increased risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to drinking no diet soda at all (11Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source).
It’s unclear why artificial sweeteners increase diabetes risk, but there are a variety of theories.
One thought is that artificially sweetened products increase cravings for sweet-tasting foods, leading to higher sugar consumption and weight gain, which increases diabetes risk (31Trusted Source).
Another idea is that artificial sweeteners disrupt your body’s ability to properly compensate for calories consumed from sugar since your brain associates the sweet taste with zero calories (32Trusted Source).
While consuming large amounts of added sugar is linked to an increased risk of diabetes, many other factors are at play, such as:
•Body weight: Research shows that obesity is one of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes but that losing just 5–10% body weight can reduce the risk (34Trusted Source).
•Exercise: People who live sedentary lifestyles have nearly twice the risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who are active. Just 150 minutes per week of moderate activity can reduce the risk (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source).
•Smoking: Smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day more than doubles your risk of diabetes, but quitting brings the risk nearly back to normal (37Trusted Source).
•Sleep apnea: Sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing is obstructed during the night, is a unique risk factor for diabetes (38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).
•Genetics: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is 40% if one of your parents has it and nearly 70% if both parents have it — suggesting a genetic link (40Trusted Source).
In addition to cutting back on added sugars, there are many other dietary changes you can make to reduce your diabetes risk:
•Follow a whole-foods diet: Diets rich in nuts, fruits, vegetables and whole grains have been linked to a reduced risk of diabetes (36Trusted Source, 41Trusted Source, 42Trusted Source).
•Drink coffee: Drinking coffee may reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Each daily cup is associated with a 7% lower risk of diabetes (43Trusted Source).
•Eat green leafy vegetables: Eating a diet rich in green leafy vegetables has been linked to a 14% lower risk of diabetes (44Trusted Source).
•Drink alcohol in moderation: Moderate alcohol consumption — defined as about 0.5–3.5 drinks per day — has been linked to a roughly 30% lower risk of diabetes, compared to completely abstaining or drinking heavily (45Trusted Source).
If reducing your intake of added sugars feels overwhelming, you can start by simply reducing your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, which are the primary source of added sugars in the standard American diet (46Trusted Source).
Excessive amounts of added sugars have been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, likely due to negative effects on the liver and a higher risk of obesity.
Natural sugars like those found in fruits and vegetables are not linked to diabetes risk — whereas artificial sweeteners are.
In addition to sugar consumption, overall diet quality, body weight, sleep quality, exercise and genetics all play a role in the development of this disease.
Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and coffee, consuming alcohol in moderation, maintaining a healthy body weight and exercising regularly can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Dec 22, 2022 · People With Diabetes Can Have Sugar . If you have diabetes, it doesn’t mean you can no longer eat sugar. Sugar, like any other food, can fit into a well-balanced diet when consumed in moderation. When eating sugary foods, you can minimize the blood glucose response and increase your feeling of satiety by adding sources of protein and fat.
Jan 9, 2024 · Another vital component of living with diabetes is focusing on what you eat by choosing healthy foods. So, can people with diabetes eat sugar? Diabetes educator Sue Cotey, RN, explains if people ...
Oct 25, 2024 · While these foods do not count toward your total added sugar intake each day, they do count toward your carbohydrates per meal and can impact blood sugar levels.” “Even natural sweeteners like honey, fruit juice and maple syrup still contain sugars that can affect blood sugar levels if over-consumed or not balanced with other macronutrients like protein, fat and high-fiber carbs,” she adds.
Jan 9, 2024 · Plus, people who eat a lot of added sugar (where at least 25% of their calories comes from added sugar) are twice as likely to die of heart disease as those whose diets include less than 10% of ...
People also ask
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It can also be confusing: is diabetes really caused by eating too much sugar? And what does a diabetes diagnosis mean for your diet? O ur Senior Dietitian replaces some common myths with the facts. Myth 1: You need special foods if you have diabetes Foods like chocolate, cakes and biscuits marketed towards people with diabetes may be sugar-free ...
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related to: why do people with diabetes eat so much sugar foodDiscover Helpful Information And A Downloadable Doctor Discussion Guide. Download A Doctor Discussion Guide For Help Talking About Type 2 Diabetes.
