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Nov 4, 2024 · High added sugar intake can lead to fluctuations in blood sugar levels, resulting in mood swings, irritability, and fatigue, which may worsen feelings of depression. Studies have identified links between sugar-sweetened beverages and a higher risk of depression.
- 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.
Aug 20, 2022 · Hyperglycemia usually doesn't cause symptoms until blood sugar (glucose) levels are high — above 180 to 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 10 to 11.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Symptoms of hyperglycemia develop slowly over several days or weeks. The longer blood sugar levels stay high, the more serious symptoms may become.
Nov 8, 2023 · Eating high-processed, high-carbohydrate foods and saturated fats ... it can cause high blood sugar. ... Some conditions caused by blood glucose levels that are too high need treatment right away:
Jan 15, 2019 · Blood glucose levels greater than 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dl) when fasting ; Blood glucose levels greater than 11.0 mmol/L (200 mg/dl) 2 hours after meals ; Although blood sugar levels exceeding 7 mmol/L for extended periods of time can start to cause damage to internal organs, symptoms may not develop until blood glucose levels exceed 11 mmol/L
Jan 9, 2024 · Once blood sugar levels reach a certain amount, the kidneys start to release excess sugar into your urine. If left uncontrolled, diabetes can damage the kidneys, which prevents them from doing ...
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Jan 11, 2024 · Can you get diabetes from eating too much sugar? No, but eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which increases your risk for diabetes. ... your glucose levels are high may differ. Some ...
